Never Doubt I Love
by doritoFace1q
Summary: Opposites attract. It's been that way since the beginning of time. North and south, hot and cold, bitter and sweet. So why. . . why am I being pulled towards her? LxNaomi, greatly inspired by personal ideas of the characters, so slightly OOC. Possible Near and Mello in later chapters
1. Chapter 1: Her

Yeeeeee new story! Literally the same day that I finish my first! No rest for the overly imaginative fangirls! *cries* Also, the cover is actually so accurate XD

* * *

Naomi walked along the street, side by side with the boy called Light. He claimed to be the son of the police chief, was clearly intelligent, and radiated innocence. Yet there was something off about him.

"The way that I see it, Kira – " Light broke off, laughing embarrassedly. "I'm sorry. We've been talking this entire time, and I just realized I don't even know your name! I'm Light Yagami. It's written with the Kanji for moon, night, and God. Weird, huh?"

Naomi swallowed. She was prepared for this.

"I'm Shoko Maki."

xxx

L sat in front of his laptop, biting his thumbnail, scrolling through the lists upon lists of people with 'information' regarding the Kira case. His eyes moving like lightning, observing everything he saw. Most of the people were blabbering about how they knew Kira, knew about Kira, or even _were_ Kira. He snorted to himself, attracting a strange look from Mogi. _People will do anything for a bit of attention_. He thought ruefully.

He was still scrolling when he suddenly stopped. A grin cracked over his face. _Now, this is something_.

"Aizawa-San," he called out. Aizawa looked at him. "I would like you to go down to the Task Force headquarters at the station and relieve Agent Ukita. While you are there, please see whether or not this woman is there." he showed his computer screen to Aizawa. "If I am correct, she should be either waiting there, or somewhere near there."

"Sure thing, Ryuzaki." Aizawa stood up, stretching. "But why that woman in particular?"

L sipped his tea. "You'll find out soon enough."

"All right," Aizawa headed for the door. "So, I just bring her here?"

"Of course not," L replied. "Once you find her, first ask her name. She will most likely respond with an alias. After giving you her 'name', as her how she conquered the Big Baby back in L.A. If she answers with anything along the lines of 'I put out his fire', or something, then bring her here. If not, ask her to stay at the station for half an hour, before calling me and putting me on the line with her."

Aizawa blinked, as if struggling to comprehend all of that. "Um. . . okay." he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Soichrio Yagami looked at L. "L, who is that woman? Why are you asking her to come here?"

"Yeah, wouldn't it be a risk to show your face to anybody who isn't part of the Task Force?"

L nibbled on a panda cracker. "She is a useful informant, an excellent FBI agent, and has a personal obligation to this case. I've worked with her in the past, and believe she could be of some use to us."

"What kind of personal obligation?" Mogi asked.

L crushed the rest of the cracker between his fingers. "I'll leave that up to you to figure out."

xxx

Naomi stood in front of the young man, smiling at her, the image of innocence. "Miss, may I please have a piece of identification? It's mandatory, if you want to join the Task Force."

Naomi reached for her purse, then hesitated. _Never reveal your true name_. Those words echoed through her mind, and she silently cursed herself. How could she have forgotten?

"Um, Maki-San?" Light asked, looking impatient, though he tried to hide it. "The ID?"

"Ah, of course." she smiled. "I'm sorry – I spaced out for a second."

She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. _I'm sorry, Light_. she thought, rifling through it. _If you're not Kira, then I'll apologize later. But if you are, well, then_. . . she pulled out a fake ID that she had had prepared earlier. She handed it to him, asking, "Will an American driver's license do?"

The boy nodded, taking the ID. A sudden rush of emotions crossed his face, fast and unreadable. When he spoke again, his voice was different, as if he was trying not to lose control. "Thank you, Maki-San." he handed it back, and Naomi noticed that his hand was shaking slightly. _Because he's Kira_?

Light nodded tersely. "Well, let's go, then." he turned and strode off, Naomi trotting to keep up.

* * *

Did you honestly think I was going to kill her off? Please. (hides discarded storyboards)


	2. Chapter 2: Him

So, just FYI, this story isn't going to be your classic romance fanfic, because A, I couldn't write romance if Kira had written my first name in the Death Note and was threatening to put in the last, and B, this story may be a bit OC, but I don't want to change the characters that much, and I really feel like Naomi and L aren't your typical flirty, blushy, romantic type people.

* * *

Light and Naomi arrived at the NPA office at almost the exact same time as a middle-aged man with an afro-style, curly hair.

Aizawa looked up to see the woman he was searching for enter the building, accompanied by. . . the Chief's son? He frowned. _Do they know each other_?

"Miss!" he called. "Miss! May I speak to you?"

The woman turned, and Light's eye twitched. _Crap; a Task Force member. It'll look bad if I run, but_. . . he was hit with sudden inspiration.

"Maki-san." he told the woman. "That man's a part of the Task Force too – you can talk to him, now."

"Oh?" Shoko looked at him, a sliver of suspicion in her eyes. "All right, then. Thank you, Light."

She turned away, and Light quickly darted out the door. _Damnit,_ he thought as Ryuk cackled. _Damnit, damnit,_ damnit _! How am I going to kill her now_?

xxx

Naomi turned to face the curly-haired Task Force member. "Miss," he said formally. "My name is Shuichi Aizawa. I'm a member of the Kira Task Force, working under L."

Naomi snorted, and Aizawa blinked. "Seriously?" she asked. "You work for _L_ , and you can't even think to give me an alias, or no name at all? You're trying to catch Kira, aren't you?"

Aizawa looked offended. "Miss, I'm under orders from L to come and find you. He's expressed interest in bringing you to Headquarters."

 _So, the Kira Headquarters aren't at the NPA building – this man is leaking so much information, and I'm not even_ trying _to get it! I hope L knows what he's doing_.

"Is that so?" Naomi asked, shifting her weight. "But if it's L, then surely he's not going to let you just bring me to Headquarters – don't you have something to ask me?"

Aizawa cleared his throat. "He told me to ask you how you dealt with the Big Baby back in L.A."

 _Beyond Birthday_! Naomi's breath caught in her throat as a vision of red eyes filled her mind, and she shuddered involuntarily. "I doused his flame and put him in jail." she said.

Aizawa nodded. "Okay. Well, Miss, I think it's safe to say – "

His phone rang suddenly. "Oh, I'm sorry." he pulled it out, and saw that the number was blocked. He put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Aizawa-san," a filtered voice spoke in his ear. "Please put me on the phone with the woman."

"Ryuzaki?" Aizawa saw the woman stiffen. "Um, okay."

He handed the phone to Naomi, who took it, hand shaking. She held it to her ear and spoke, voice trembling. "Ry-Ryuzaki?"

"L." the voice corrected. Naomi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank god." she gasped. "For a moment, I thought – "

"I know." the voice replied. "Trust me, I'm not fond of that memory either." there was a silence for a moment, but it wasn't awkward – more like two old friends meeting after a long time and waiting in comfortable familiarity.

"What is your name?" L asked suddenly.

Naomi blinked, confused. "You know my name."

"Maybe, but I must ask again. What is your name?"

Naomi was about to respond with her true name, when she suddenly remembered how fond L was of his tricks and mind games.

"My name is Shoko Maki," she said. "It's written with Kanji for 'between', 'tree' and 'child'."

She waited for a while, before a filtered chuckle was heard from the other end of the line. "I see your memory is as sharp as ever, Massacre."

Naomi smiled. "Please ask Aizawa-San to bring you to the Tokyo Imperial Hotel, suite number 4035.

"I'll see you soon."


	3. Chapter 3: Rue

L released the button on his microphone, resting back into his normal crouched position. He felt, rather than saw, the other Task Force members exchanging looks.

"Ryuzaki, are you sure that it's safe to just invite somebody into Headquarters like that?" Soichiro Yagami asked.

"Why not? I invited you." Soichiro exchanged a surprised look with Mogi. L had never spoken so casually before.

"How can you be sure that she's trustworthy?" Ukita asked.

"I trust her with my life." L replied, in a tone that signalled the end of the conversation.

It was a while before a knock was heard on the door. "Come in," L called.

xxx

Naomi heard a voice call "Come in," from inside the room, and goosebumps popped up all over her arms. _Where have I heard that voice before_?

Aizawa opened the door for her, stepping back respectfully. Naomi walked by, murmuring thanks. Raye had used to do the exact same thing.

She stopped at the sight in front of her. A man was squatting in a chair, sipping his tea, which Naomi was almost positive must be heavily sugared. He had pale skin, dark circles under his wide black eyes, and an unruly mess of black hair atop his head.

" _Beyond_?"

xxx

The door creaked open, and L watched Naomi Misora walk into the room. His breath caught. She was different. Gone was the fiery determination from her face, the fierce blaze in her eyes. She looked meeker, gentler. She was skinnier too, but not in a good way. It looked like she had shed half her muscle since quitting the FBI. The only thing that remained the same was her leather jacket, and even that looked weak. As if she was trying to recapture a spirit long since forgotten

She stopped when she saw him. He titled his head to the side as her eyes widened with shock. " _Beyond_?"

The Task Force members exchanged confused looks. Soichiro Yagami cleared his throat, "Ryuzaki, what –" L cut him off with a wave of his hand, hopping off his seat to walk up to Naomi.

She stepped back. "You – "

"Maki-San, I can assure you, I am not Beyond Birthday." he said calmly.

Naomi looked at him, scrutinizing him again. Then her eyes grew, if possible, even bigger. "Ryuzaki? _You're_ L?"

"Try not to sound so surprised." L cracked a grin, and mentally winced. He was unused to smiles, and they came difficult to him.

Naomi shook her head, bemused. "I want to hug you right now, but I feel like you owe me a kick down the stairs." she chuckled, and L raised an eyebrow.

"So, a handshake instead?" he offered his hand, and she took it. He smiled. "Maki-San, I'm not going to be beating around the bush. I would like you to join the Kira Investigation, working directly under me once again."

Naomi blinked. "L. . ."

"And please, you'll have to call me Ryuzaki from now on." L said. "For security reasons."

Naomi pulled her hand back. "L. . . this. . . I can't. . ." she sighed. "I'm not an agent anymore, L. I won't be of any help to you."

"On the contrary, I believe you will be of great help. You are quick-witted, have a strong sense of justice, and moreover, have a personal obligation to this case, do you not?" L leapt back onto his chair, pulling his knees to his chest. Just like Beyond had. Or had Beyond been copying L? Naomi shook her head. This was too confusing.

"Maki-San?"

"L. . ." she shook her head again. "I'm just confused. You just come out of nowhere and ask me to work with you, so soon after Raye. . ." she groaned. "And it doesn't help that you act so much like. . . _him_."

"Would it help if I told you he was copying me?"

"No, no it would not."

"I see."

An awkward silence descended upon the room, the Task Force member afraid to move, or disturb the silence. Finally, Naomi said, "Can you give me some time, L? I've got a lot going on right now, and. . ."

"Of course," L nodded. "Come back when you're ready."

"Thank you," she nodded to him. "And I'm sorry for wasting your time." she added, bowing to the Task Force members, who all looked surprised that she had even acknowledged them at all.

She turned and left the room, letting the door swing shut behind her, leaving L to stare after her, mind wrapped in thought, bare toes waging war with each other.


	4. Chapter 4: Raye

Forgetful is a terrible thing to be. . .

* * *

Naomi sat on the bed that she and Raye had occupied before his death (murder, it was _murder_ ), curled up in a fetal position.

 _Damnit_ , she thought, gritting her teeth. _This is all happening to fast_.

She rolled over, looking up at the ceiling. _L is Ryuzaki? Light Yagami might be Kira? And Ryuzaki wants me to work for him to_ catch _Kira?_ she smacked her cheeks and groaned. It didn't help that the entire Task Force now that she was Shoko Maki, a name that she had borrowed from her high school Chemistry teacher. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of that woman.

She fingered the covers below her and sighed. _Oh, Raye_. . .

xxx

 _"Raye," Naomi wheedled, curling up at Raye's side, resting her head on his chest. "Can you tell me_ anything _?"_

 _He stroked her hair, gazing at her with loving eyes. "Darling, you know I can't do that."_

 _Naomi forced a worried tear out of her eye._ Thank god for acting lessons _. "I'm just so worried for you all the time, and I just can't help but think about everything that could happen."_

 _Raye kissed her forehead. "It was nothing, really. Just some crazy who robbed a bank a few days ago, and decided to try his hand at a bus. Had a gun with him, but it was nothing. He went nuts and jumped out, got hit by a car."_

 _"Oh, no!" Naomi winced._ Ouch. Too cheesy _. "It was an accident, right?"_

 _"Of course," he smiled at her. "Just a driver who couldn't brake fast enough."_

 _"What if it had been you?" she asked, looking up at him worriedly. "What if you had jumped out first?"_

 _"Honey, you worry too much." he caressed her cheek. "I'm fine, see?"_

 _"Did anything else happen?" she asked, still pushing for information, hoping that it wouldn't make him to suspicious._

 _"Well, there was this kid." he sighed. "Really gusty. Wanted to get up and fight the guy. I had to show my ID to him to get him to trust me."_

 _"What?" Naomi sat up. "You showed your_ ID _to someone? While working on the_ Kira _case?"_

 _"Oh, it's fine." he said. "I'm pretty sure he wasn't Kira."_

xxx

Naomi slapped herself. _I'm an idiot_! she thought. _I forgot to tell him_!

She hopped out of bed, yanking on her jacket.

 _Damnit_ , she yanked open the door, rushing outside. _Damnit,_ damnit _!_ She pressed frantically on the elevator button, glancing up at the flashing lights above.

 _Kira was on that bus_! she pressed the lobby button anxiously, tapping her feet impatiently as elevator music played softly in the background. _Raye showed his ID to a student! That student_ must _have been Kira, or someone close to Kira!_

She raced out the hotel doors, jogging down the street. _And what's more, the busjacker was being controlled by Kira! Kira used him to find out Raye's name_!

She hastily flagged down a taxi, jumping in. "Imperial Hotel, please." she told the driver.

 _It all makes sense!_ she thought as the driver wove through the afternoon traffic. _Kira can kill using means other than heart attacks, and, because L doesn't know that yet, he used it to his advantage_!

She hopped out of the taxi, tossing the driver a hundred-yen bill, slamming the door and rushing off before he could say anything.

She brushed through the doors, heading for the elevator. She raced through the doors, slamming the top-floor button.

 _Raye showed his ID to one person, and that got all twelve of them killed!_ she thought, watching the numbers light up. _Like a stack of dominoes – all Kira had to do was push one, and the rest all fell with him_.

She raced to L's door and began pounding on it. "Ryuzaki!" she called, wincing slightly at the name. "Ryuzaki! _Ryuzaki_!"

"Oh, do you know the gentleman in there?" Naomi turned around to see a maid pushing a cleaning cart down the hall.

"Yes, I need to talk to him." Naomi said, glancing at the door. "Do you know where he could be?"

"Oh!" the maid said. "I'm sorry – he checked out not half an hour ago."

L, you ditcher


	5. Chapter 5: Massacre

L sat in front of his laptop, scrolling through charts and data. _Did I go too far_? he wondered. _Will she still come if I moved_?

He shook his head. He was reading too much into this. Naomi Misora was a resourceful character, and he knew that she would end up finding him.

As if she had read his mind, Watari's call blinked onto his screen. "Ryuzaki, I have Maki-San on the line."

"Put her on."

An Old English S replaced Watari's W. "L!" she said, and L could hear that she sounded distinctly peeved.

"Maki-San," L replied. The Task Force members glanced at him. "How do you do?"

"Why did you check out?"

"It's a security measure." L replied. "I assume that, since you went back, you intend to join us?"

"Not quite," Naomi replied, sounding uneasy. "I have information, it's true, but I'm still unsure about joining."

"That's a shame," L said. "Well, I can't allow a person who's not a part of the investigation to just stroll into Headquarters. I hope you understand."

There was silence from her end of the line. "You're not going to stop until I join, are you?"

"Correct."

Naomi sighed. "Fine. Tell me where you are."

L hopped off his seat and peered out the peephole. He saw Naomi standing a few doors over, cell phone held up to her ear.

"Room 4589."

Naomi looked up, staring at the door. "Are you kidding me?" she snarled into the phone, glaring at the room. "You do all that, and you're literally _three doors away_?"

"It's unlocked." L hung up and squatted back down in his seat. There was an indistinguishable noise from the other side of the door, and it swung open. Naomi stood there, arms crossed, looking absolutely furious.

"Maki-San," L said in was of greeting. "What is it that you wished to discuss?"

Naomi sighed. "I was going to tell you earlier, L, but – "

"You were shocked, and therefore forgot?"

"Yeah," she tugged on her hair. "L, Kira can kill using means other than heart attacks."

The Task Force members began muttering to each other, and Soichiro Yagami quickly ran a sequence through his laptop. "She's not wrong, L." he said. "There are a number of minor criminals who have died in a clustered span of the past week, and all through accidents or similar means."

L nodded to himself, running a finger over his lips. "That is very useful information, Maki-San. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

Naomi nodded, taking a deep breath. "My fiancée got involved in a busjacking while he was following a suspect, and he told me – "

"Told you what, Maki-San?"

"That he had to show his ID to someone." Naomi said, gulping. "L, I think Kira was on that bus, and it was Kira that Raye showed his ID too."

Matsuda leaned over to whisper to Aizawa, "Raye? She's not Raye Penber's fiancée, is she?"

"Sounds like it," he replied, watching Shoko Maki. "And, judging by what we've heard in the past bit, she was an FBI agent, too."

L, meanwhile, had yanked his laptop over, typing furiously. "Maki-San, Raye told you all of this on the twenty-fourth, correct?"

"Yes."

"Excellent." L pulled up Raye Penber's notes, scanning through them. "On October 24, 2006, Raye Penber was following Light Yagami."

"What?" Soichiro Yagami stood up, looking furious. "L, you can't still be serious about this! My son _can't_ be Kira!"

L sighed. "Yagami-San, your utter denial will only hold the case back. I will need your full cooperation in this."

"In what, Ryuzaki?" Mogi asked.

L picked up his teacup. "I want to place surveillance cameras and wire taps in the Yagami household. We will monitor the family members twenty four-seven, and, by the end of the week, we will have hopefully have figured out who Kira is."

Yagami began to express his outrage, and the other Task Force members joined in. Naomi bit her lip. When she had told L this, she had been trying to make his investigation easier, not harder.

"Enough." L's voice was no louder than normal, but it rang with authority, and sent chills down Naomi's spine. "If you do not wish to cooperate with me, then please leave. I have made it clear that I will do whatever I must to solve this case, and that includes using illegal methods."

"Ryuzaki – "

"This conversation is over." L cut Soichiro Yagami off. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to have a word with Maki-San, in private."

* * *

Wooooowwww. Sneaky.


	6. Chapter 6: Shoko

L closed the door behind him and headed over for the counter. Naomi watched uncomfortably as he hopped up onto the surface, squatting there as he dug his fingers into a bowl of jelly beans.

"I'm sorry if I caused you trouble earlier." Naomi finally said.

"Oh, it's no bother." L tossed a bright green jelly bean into his mouth, crunching down on it. "I've dealt with people far more uncooperative than them."

Naomi suppressed a smile. "Other agents?"

L snorted, rolling a red bean around between his fingers. "Try children." his smiled faded as he bit into the candy. "I'm not going to force you to work for me if you don't want, Naomi."

Naomi's breath caught in her throat at the sound of her name. L glanced at her. "Don't worry – the doors are all soundproofed, they won't hear."

"Oh," Naomi glanced at the doors again. "Oh. Well, thank you." she shifted her weight awkwardly.

"I'm serious, Misora-San." L tossed a jelly bean in the air, catching it in his mouth. "You can leave if you want. I was just joking earlier."

Naomi raised an eyebrow. " _You_ were _joking_?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" L tossed a candy from one hand to the other. "Misora-San, I do believe that your talent would be valuable to this case. However, I won't force you to stay if you don't want to." he popped the candy into his mouth.

Naomi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling awkward. "L, I already told you. . . I'm not an agent anymore, I can't help you."

"Don't talk about yourself like that." L looked at her with his big, soulful eyes. "You are still an excellent investigator, and have great deductive skills. You would be a great help." he stopped before adding, "You are the only one who _can_ help."

"What do you mean?" Naomi asked.

L looked her straight in the eyes. "Join me and I'll tell you."

Naomi bit her lip. "Okay,"

"Okay."

xxx

Aizawa glanced over at the newest member of the Task Force, Shoko Maki, or whatever her name was, since, apparently, it was an alias. She was leaned over, typing quickly into L's personal laptop, while he looked over her shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes. _Raye Penber's fiancée, huh_? he watched as L tapped Maki's shoulder, pointing at something on the screen that she had apparently missed. _And she's worked for him before_? Maki nodded, quickly amending her mistake. _So, he trusts her enough to let her on his personal computer_? he crossed his arms, watching them. _What kind of history do they have_?

Naomi, meanwhile, had a multitude of thoughts running a marathon through her mind. L had so much information – so much that

"L," she said, scrolling down the page, "I've got a question."

"What is it?" he picked up a sugary lump of Turkish Delight and tossed it into his mouth.

"Well," Naomi tried to ignore the chewing noises next to her ear. "Beyond was a criminal, right?"

"Correct."

"One of the worst in the world."

"You could say that."

"Then why is he still alive?" Naomi asked. "Why hasn't Kira killed him yet?"

L picked a maraschino cherry from his untouched cake slice. "Well," he popped the treat, stem and all, into his mouth. "When we arrested Beyond, I had him imprisoned under his alias."

"Rue Ryuzaki?" Naomi asked.

"Yes," L pulled the cherry stem out of his mouth, and Naomi was surprised to see it tied in a knot. He set it down on his plate. "It was safer, not only for him, but for you and me too, as well as many others."

"What do you mean?" Naomi asked, turning to face him.

L's face had become closed off. "Let's just say," he leaned forwards. "That a single thread can be the undoing of more knots than you know." he picked up his laptop. "Remember that, Maki-San."

He tucked his laptop under his arm and headed for his own private room, which none of the Task Force members were allowed to enter. Naomi stared after him, incredulous.

 _What was that_? she thought. _One minute he's fine, but then the moment I mention Beyond, he closes himself of, and just leaves? It's like he becomes a whole different person._

Naomi narrowed her eyes as his door swung shut. _L. . . I'll figure you out, if it's the last thing I do_.


	7. Chapter 7: Aizawa

I'm going to make the Task Force members _somewhat_ capable in this fanfic, because I didn't really like how they were portrayed as total idiots in the animanga. I mean, they're all detectives, and have at least _some_ brains.

* * *

The penthouse suite of the Tokyo Four Seasons hotel was silent. The Task Force members were all sprawled out on either the various couches, loveseats, or even the ground, blissfully unaware of everything going on around them, taking a well-earned break after their day of hard work. Even Ryuzaki and Watari, along with their mysterious new member, had vanished, off to their private rooms. Everybody was either asleep or gone. All, except one.

Aizawa typed furiously, glancing from keyboard to screen. _Shoko Maki, Shoko Maki, Shoko Maki_. . . he scrolled through the FBI gallery.

 _Raye Penber_. He stopped, looking at the picture. He had never seen the man before, but this must have been him. _I guess the FBI isn't that quick in updating their website_. He closed his eyes for a moment of respect, before opening them again and scrolling through the page again.

 _There_! he clicked on the profile.

 _Naomi Misora, huh_? he scrolled down her page. _Notable cases_. . . he clicked on the link. _The Wara Nigyo Murders?_ _Where have I heard that before_? he opened up a new tab and typed in the phrase. A number of websites popped up, and Aizawa clicked on the first one. _Gruesome Cases dot-com, huh? That's not sketchy at all_.

 _The Voodoo Doll Murders, otherwise known as the Locked Room Killings_ , he read. _Three gruesome murders carried out by an individual, on three victims that the culprit nicknamed Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen, and Backyard Bottomslash_. Aizawa scowled, clicking on a link labelled 'the culprit'. It opened up to another page.

 _Rue Ryuzaki_? Aizawa's heart skipped a beat. _Ryuzaki_. . . he scrolled down the page, skimming through the information. _European and Japanese descent, tried to make an unsolvable case for the legendary L, mentally insane, unfit to stand trial, blah blah blah._ He stopped as he reached the photos.

His hands flew up to his mouth. "Oh, my god. . ."

The man, Rue Ryuzaki, looked just like L. No, not like L – he _was_ L. . . but he wasn't. They were identical, right down to the very last strand of wild black hair and shadows beneath their eyes. But his eyes, rather than being black and deep as pools of oil, were red. Actually _red_ , like blood. He carried a manic smile, and his face. . . oh, god, his face. . .

His face was covered in scars, burnt and fresh. Aizawa could practically see the flesh bubbling and cracking under the flames that he had set around himself. His clothing (a white, long-sleeved cotton shirt and a pair of baggy jeans, just like Ryuzaki's – like _L's_ ) was burnt too – flaky and black, an inferno's disaster hanging off his skinny frame.

"It's horrible, isn't it?"

Aizawa whirled around to see Ryuzaki standing behind him, holding a lollipop.

"Ryuzaki!" Aizawa exclaimed. "I – "

"It's all right." Ryuzaki licked the lollipop with the tip of his tongue. "No harm in you finding out more about my work with Maki-San, is there?"

"You mean Mi – "

"I would appreciate it if you didn't say her real name out loud." Ryuzaki interrupted, voice suddenly cold. "She has already had a brush with death, and it would take two simple words to wipe her from this world." L bit into the lollipop with sudden ferocity, and Aizawa tried not to flinch as shards of the candy landed on the floor.

"Um, yes, Ryuzaki. Sorry." he turned back to his computer, quickly closing the tabs that had to do with Naomi Misora.

"Please erase your search history as well." Ryuzaki called over his shoulder as he headed back into his own room, door slamming shut behind him.

xxx

L lay on his back, staring up at the canopy of his massive bed.

 _I'm a fool_. He sighed, placing an arm over his eyes. _The website! I erased her name from the newspapers, the websites, and even deleted the articles online, but I forgot the most important part!_ He allowed himself a low groan before rolling over and curling into a fetal position, perched on the edge of his bed.

 _I should sleep_. He sighed again, picking at the silky sheets. _I really should_.

 _But, how can I_? he closed his eyes. _How can I sleep when there's so much left undone? There's so much I need to do, and so little time to do it_.

And yet, even as these thoughts paraded through his mind, his eyelids grew heavier, his breathing fell slower, and, for the first time in months, he contemplated true sleep.

 _Just this once_ , he thought to himself, letting his eyelids close gently. _Just this once. . ._

* * *

Oh, he getting protective now, eh?


	8. Chapter 8: Ely

I won't give up on BB and L being brothers! I won't, I won't, I won't! *throws tantrum*

* * *

Naomi quietly pushed open the door to L's room, peeking inside. _He's not here – good_. She crept into the room and looked around.

The room was surprisingly bare, considering how hell-bent L was on keeping everybody out of it. There was nothing really 'personal' about L's personal room, except for his laptop, which sat closed on the desk in the corner, and a small, leather-bound book on the bedside table. She began rifling around.

 _He's gotta have_ some _kind of personal stuff_ , she thought, pulling back the covers on his bed and lifting the mattress. "Damn," she whispered, upon finding the bed empty of anything. She put everything back into its original position and moved on to the other furniture.

 _L's the smartest man in the world, he wouldn't just stick something important under his bed_. Naomi unzipped the cushion on the loveseat in the corner and shoved her hand in, patting around for something hidden amongst the stuffing.

She hugged, disappointed, as nothing came up, and zipped it back up, placing it back on the seat. She then started pulling out all the drawers, and came up with nothing but a couple of pens, a handful of candy, a switchblade, and some string. _Well, that's something_ , she thought, turning the switchblade around in her hand. But, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be nothing special, just a Swiss Army Knife that he could have bought at any department store.

She groaned in frustration, placing it back in the drawer, and looked under the desk, wondering if he had maybe taped something to the bottom. Nothing but a piece of gum that looked like it had been there since antiquity. Naomi wrinkled her nose and stood up again.

A quick search of the bathroom showed nothing either, only a toothbrush, some bubblegum-flavored toothpaste, strawberry scented shampoo, and even more candy ( _Seriously, who eats candy in the_ shower? she thought).

I will _not_ give up on BB and L being brothers! I won't, I won't, I won't! *throws tantrum*

She went back into the bedroom and sighed, rubbing her forehead. _Does he seriously have_ nothing _?_ She stood there for a moment, looking over the room. _The laptop, the candy, the knife, the book_ –

She stopped and slapped herself on the forehead. _The book_! She hurried over to the bedside table and picked up the book. She saw that it was much older than she had previously thought – old enough for the pages to be yellowing and the words to be faded. There was a circular stain on the leather cover. _Probably from his tea,_ she thought, checking the title. _Peter Pan_.

 _A children's book_? she thought, remembering L's comment about dealing with children earlier that day. _Is this what he meant_?

She cracked open the cover and looked at the faded message written in English letters. She traced the elegant cursive letters with her finger. _Ballpoint pen_. The words themselves read, _Happy Birthday, Lawlipop! Here's to never growing up_ J _October 31, 1983_.

 _Lawlipop_? She flipped through the table of contents. _A nickname? Or just bad grammar?_

As she flipped through the pages, she saw more notes, written in English as well. However, they weren't in the same beautiful, loopy letters on the first page, but in the scribbled, chicken scratch-like letters that L used for his notes. She chuckled as she imagined a young L hunched over the book, scribbling in the margins, holding his pen by forefinger and thumb.

"I'm glad you find it humorous."

She whirled around with a squeak. L was standing in front of her, hunched over and holding a cup of tea.

"You know, most people would chide me for drinking English Breakfast at night," he set the teacup down on the bedside table and took the book from Naomi. "But I rarely sleep and don't eat breakfast, so there's really no other time to drink it." he placed the book on the bed and looked at Naomi. "Now, care to explain why you're in here?"

Naomi gulped. "Well, I was," she shuffled her feet. "I guess I was curious."

L raised an eyebrow. "Curious."

"Well, today, when we were looking over the stats and stuff, I mentioned Beyond, and you suddenly closed off, and left the room." Naomi said, realizing as she spoke, just how stupid it sounded. "What I mean is," she amended, fumbling her words. "I was wondering why you always come here when you're uncomfortable." she felt like hitting herself. _That came out wrong_.

L tilted his head. "Is it wrong for a man to want some privacy every now and again?"

"No!" Naomi shook her head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come in here, I was just wondering, and old habits die hard, and – "

"I think what you mean to say is that you were curious about me." L said.

"I. . . well, I guess so." Naomi shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize." L picked up the book. "I've broken into other people's rooms for information before – it's just the way some people are." he opened the book and began flipping through the pages. "However, Naomi, I am disappointed. I'd have expected a person of your intelligence to be better at searching." his words were harsh but his tone was light, almost joking.

Naomi felt her face go warm with embarrassment, and L smiled. "Relax. It was a joke." He stopped flipping and pulled out a bookmark. No, not a bookmark. A photograph. It looked almost as old and the book, and the edges were yellowing as well.

"Is this what you were curious about?" L handed it to her. Naomi squinted in the dim light coming through the window and saw that it was of two people, one of whom was holding a bundle that she could only assume was a baby.

The woman holding the baby looked about twenty, with brown hair, cut into a bob just below her ears, and tanned skin. She smiled at the camera, big green eyes sparkling. She was holding onto one of the baby's hands, which was poking out of the blue blanket, and Naomi could see a small, simple bracelet on her wrist. A little boy was standing next to her, holding onto her long skirt and making a face at the camera. He had messy black hair and pale skin, and was wearing a _Sesame Street_ t-shirt. He looked exactly like what Naomi imagined a child L to be like.

"Is that you?" Naomi asked, pointing at the little boy.

"No," L said. "That's me." he tapped the baby with a long, slender finger.

"Is that your mother?" Naomi asked. "She's pretty."

"That's the thing, I don't know who she is." L said, and Naomi could hear an undertone of regret in his voice. "Mother? Most likely. But she could also be a sister, an aunt, maybe even a family friend or babysitter." he sighed. "And her face isn't in any databases, so I can only assume that she's dead. So, mother is most likely."

"Your mother's dead?" Naomi asked quietly.

"Oh, yes, she died when I was a baby." L said, tracing the letters on the cover of his book. "And my father was killed by a robber when I was about three or four, so don't bother asking about him."

"I'm sorry." Naomi said quietly, ashamed.

"Whatever for?" L asked. "It's not like you killed them. And I don't even remember them."

They sat in awkward silence (well, at least, awkward on Naomi's side) for a while, before she worked up the courage to speak again. "So, is the other boy your brother?"

"Yes." L said.

"He looks just like you." Naomi mused, looking at the little boy. She couldn't see any differences between the boy and L. "Are you sure it's not you?"

"He's about four in that photo, so I definitely would have remembered it." L said. "And Beyond is my older brother, not younger. Therefore the baby wouldn't have made sense."

Naomi stood there for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Wait," she said, shaking her head. "Beyond is –?"

L smiled ruefully. "Has your curiosity been sated, Misora-San?"

* * *

Peter Pan is supposed to represent 'never growing up', and I wanted that to express L's love for candy. . . probably should have used it for Near instead XD


	9. Chapter 9: Beyond

Return of Beyond and his ridiculous nicknames! For about ten seconds before he dies XD

* * *

Beyond sat on the floor of his cell, leaned up against the wall. He scratched mindlessly at the floor, gazing out through the bars at the empty cell across from him.

 _More Kira victims_ , he thought, picking at the hard, concrete floor with his fingernail. _I don't mean to pressure you, Ely, but you should really pick up the pace_.

There was a scream from the other end of the corridor, and Beyond sighed. Some prisoners rushed to their bars, pressing their faces against the metal, peering to see what had happened, but most stayed in their positions, curled up in their beds, sitting around, or chatting with their inmates.

He looked up at the plain ceiling. _I wonder_ , he mused, tapping his lip with his forefinger. _Why am I still alive? In the eyes of the world, I'm a murderer, aren't I_? he pulled his knees to his chest, as he had become accustomed to doing when impersonating L. _Could it be because my real name was never released to the media_? He glanced at the man in the cell diagonal to him, eyes glowing red as he examined his lifespan. _Their numbers dictate a long life, but Kira thinks differently_. He clenched his fist. _Whatever he's doing isn't natural – I wonder if_ he _knows that yet_?

He had barely thought of this when his chest seized up in pain. His hand flew up to grab at his chest, and felt his heart pulsing weakly, slowing.

 _No_ , he thought. _I know my numbers! It's not supposed to be like this_! But even as these frantic thoughts bounced around in his mind, he slid down the wall, landing flat on his back, mouth opening and closing soundlessly, heart craving oxygen.

 _No!_ he thought. _Kira couldn't kill me with just my face! How could he_ –?

A sudden thought slammed into him like a wall, and he calmed. He stopped thrashing around and simply stared up at the ceiling, ignoring the pain in his chest, flooded by a sudden tranquility.

 _Of course_ , he thought. _A second Kira_. . .

 _This one with Shinigami eyes_.

xxx

Light sat in front of his laptop, scrolling through news articles.

 _Judgement after judgement, all by my hand_. He smiled cruelly to himself. _Kira's power will be recognized by the world_!

The reporter on his TV screen said, frantically, "This just in! Rue Ryuzaki, responsible for the brutal locked room killings in LA two years ago, has been found dead in his cell! The autopsies haven't come in yet, but I think it would be safe to assume that this is another judgement by. . ." he took a dramatic breath, and Light rolled his eyes. " _Kira_."

 _Rue Ryuzaki_? Light frowned, flipping through the pages of the Death Note. _I don't remember writing that name recently. . ._ he stopped on the second page, filled with the names of the worst criminals in the world. This was the page that he had written on when he had just started using the notebook.

 _There_ , he tapped a name on the page, frowning. _But I wrote that name weeks ago! And I remember that he didn't die. I thought that the authorities were suppressing it or something, but that clearly isn't the case. So why. ._?

He shook his head. Kira had better things to do then sit around wondering why a criminal was dead now instead of then. _He's dead. That's all that matters, isn't it_?

He turned back to his laptop, pen scribbling across the pages of the notebook of death.

xxx

L squatted in his seat, eyes flickering back and forth, watching the three computer screens in front of him. The first was a list of Kira's victims, scrolling automatically; the second was a live feed, constantly switching between television stations reporting about Kira; the third was a video of two kittens playing with a ball of yarn.

"Ryuzaki, I've got the files you requested." Mogi walked over with an armful of papers. "Detailed analysis of every criminal that was killed in the past week, along with all reports that they were mentioned in."

"Thank you, Mogi." L divided the files into two piles. "Maki-San, Aizawa-San, please go over – "

He stopped and stared at the victim list. "What the – ?"

He shoved his tea aside and tapped a few buttons on the keyboard. "How. . ?"

Naomi looked up. "What is it, L?" the other Task Force members looked over too.

"Maki-San," L's voice was somewhat strangled, as if he was choking on something. "I think you might want to see this."

Naomi, curiosity piqued, walked over and peered at his screen. She gasped. "Wha – how is that _possible_?"

The two were staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the screen. There, black on white, blinking as if taunting them, sat a name.

A name that they knew all too well.

 _Rue Ryuzaki_.

* * *

Oh noes


	10. Chapter 10: Kira

If you hadn't noticed already, I'm altering the timeline and events in the original story to fit with my purposes for this fic. I'm also winging it as I go along because I did _not_ plan _anything_ :')

* * *

Soichiro tapped his fingers on the armrest of his seat.

"So," he said, still trying to make sense out of what he had just heard. "You know Maki-San from the Wara Nigyo Murders in Los Angeles two years ago, where she worked under you."

"Correct." L stuck his spoon into the mountain of whipped cream on top of his chocolate milkshake.

"And there," Aizawa said, "She helped you arrest Beyond Birthday, alias Rue Ryuzaki, the culprit behind the killings, who had wormed his way into the investigation searching for him, and was impersonating you?"

"Yes," L said, licking the cream off the spoon. "Maki-San, the sprinkles please."

"And Beyond Birthday actually tried to _burn_ himself, trying to make it look like he had been the fourth murder, so that you would live in fear of him for the rest of your life, never catch him, and therefore be lesser than him?" Mogi asked, looking bewildered.

"And he actually set himself on fire?" Matsuda asked, coming back to the same point for the third time in the conversation.

"Yes," Naomi handed a container of rainbow sprinkles to L, who began shaking them liberally over his drink. "I put the fire out before he died, and L had him imprisoned under a false name, but we just received a notice that he's dead."

"And out of that, Ryuzaki deduced that there must be a second Kira, who can kill with just a face?" Soichiro asked. "Forgive me, Ryuzaki, but I must say that this seems a bit far-fetched. Maybe Birthday died of a real heart attack, or maybe his name was leaked somehow – "

"Neither is possible." L ran his spoon over the surface of his milkshake, which was now a mass of sprinkles. "I was very thorough with his arrest, and made sure that his real name, and the true name of the case, was suppressed through whatever means possible. And as for the real heart attack," he slurped the drink loudly through his straw. "Beyond was in perfect health in the weeks leading up to his death – I received analyses of his physical state every week – and there's no way that he would have inflicted an attack on himself; it's just not like him."

Soichiro frowned. "Ryuzaki, when you say that, it sounds like you were keeping close tabs on him. Do you keep track of all your former culprits?"

"No, just him." Naomi blinked. She hadn't expected him to respond so truthfully.

"Is that so?" Soichiro crossed his arms. "And why is that?"

"I knew Beyond personally before he ran away to become a serial killer. I supposed I was rather interested in what he'd be doing after his arrest." L glanced at Naomi. _Don't say a word_.

Naomi nodded discreetly, understanding what the look meant.

"How?" Aizawa demanded. "Was he your friend?"

"Friend? No," L traced his chin with his finger, gazing out the window. "Acquaintances, yes. Rivals? Maybe."

Just then, his cell phone rang. He held it up in his particular way, holding it delicately between forefinger and thumb. He placed it at his ear. "Watari?"

"Ryuzaki," the rest of the people in the room could all hear Watari's voice at the other end. "Please turn on Sakura TV. There is something I think you should watch."

L frowned, and nodded at Matsuda, who fumbled the remote, flicking on the TV, before dropping it, face bright red.

A reporter stood on the television screen, looking pale and worried. "—know that we are being held hostage by Kira."

"Kira?" Naomi muttered, leaning forwards. "Hostage?"

"Just watch, Maki-San." L said quietly, leaning forwards so much that Naomi began to worry about him falling off his seat.

The screen flicked to black, and four letters lit up the darkness, splattered in red. The letters were hand-drawn in the same fashion as Ryuzaki's signature L, and flickered on the screen, almost mockingly.

"What the hell?" Aizawa glared at the television. "This has got to be some kind of hoax!"

"Greetings," A deep, filtered voice flowed from the speakers. "I am Kira – the _second_ Kira."

Gasps filled the room and L said, voice flat, "What did I tell you?"

* * *

Great timing, Misa


	11. Chapter 11: Ryuzaki

Naomi leaned against the elevator door, listening to the easy music in the background, thinking back to the second Kira's tape.

xxx

 _"_ _I am Kira – the second Kira."_

 _Naomi gripped her hands, digging her nails so deep into her palms that hey left crescent marks._ L was right, _she thought_. There _is_ a second Kira.

 _"_ _I bear the same powers of the second Kira, but, unlike him, I have made a trade."_

 _L frowned. "Trade?"_

 _"_ _Just like Kira, I hate evil, and love justice. I want to see the world turned into the perfect utopia that Kira dreams of, and I will help him in his journey."_

 _"_ _What is he talking about?" Aizawa snarled, hitting his knee. "Kira's a murderer! This guy's just as nutty as he is!"_

 _"_ _Last night, I killed Beyond Birthday, otherwise known as Rue Ryuzaki." the Task Force members gasped, and Naomi glanced at L. He was glaring at the TV, hands clenched into fists. "Kira had been unable to kill this criminal, who was responsible for the brutal murders of three people in L.A. two years ago."_

 _"_ _L – " Naomi began, but was hushed by L raising a single finger, eyes never leaving the screen._

 _"_ _That brings me to my next point." the second Kira's emotionless voice filter spoke through the television. "Beyond Birthday was arrested and imprisoned under a fake name – by the authorities and L."_

 _"_ _How else was I supposed to save him?" Naomi glanced at L. He had spoken so quietly that she was certain that she was the only one who had heard._

 _"_ _L claims to be justice, but he is standing in the way of a peaceful world." the second Kira said. "This cannot go unpunished. I want L and the top members of the police force from all countries to appear on television and pledge their allegiance to Kira. And, after that, if I find out that they are still working against Kira, I will kill all of them, as an offering to Kira – starting with the man who claims to be the world's greatest detective."_

 _"_ _That sick bastard," Mogi growled, hitting the armrest of his seat. "Who would say something like that?"_

 _"_ _And now, Kira, I speak directly to you." the second Kira said. "Kira, I don't want to kill you – I only want to meet you. You're my savior, Kira. You may be hesitant, but I swear that I will do whatever you say. You may find it difficult to locate me, but you don't have to worry. My eyes will find you – "_

 _"_ _Eyes?" Naomi gasped. "L, that's what Beyond said!"_

 _"_ _I know," L said, still fixated on the screen. "This may offer up some clues about who this new Kira is."_

 _"_ _And once we meet, we'll show each other our notebooks and confirm our Shinigami."_

 _Naomi heard L make an inaudible noise, something between a gasp and a yelp. She turned just in time to see L tumble off his seat, knocking it over and falling to the ground._

 _"_ _L!" she jumped up to help him. When she touched his arm, she felt that he was trembling._

 _"_ _Shinigami?" he whispered, staring at the television screen. "You expect me to believe that those. . ._ things _exist?"_

 _"_ _L. . ."_

 _"_ _I am your loyal servant, Kira." the second Kira's broadcast finished, and the screen flicked back to Sakura TV._

 _Naomi helped L up. "Are you okay?"_

 _"_ _Merely startled, Maki-San," L mumbled, but Naomi could still feel him shaking. "Merely startled. . ."_

xxx

Naomi stepped out of the elevator, stretching slightly. She knew L. She wouldn't say that they were best friends, or extremely close, but she knew him well enough to know that he didn't get startled easily.

She opened the door to the hotel exercise facility, smiling to herself in the gloom. It would be nice to work out and practice her capoeira again.

She was about to turn the lights on when she realized that she wasn't the only person in the room. She ducked behind a treadmill, peeking out from behind it.

L was at the punching bag, swinging at it so hard that it swung from side to side, chain clanking. He was sweating, looked furious, and. . . _shirtless_.

Naomi felt herself grow bright red, and she looked away quickly. L was a lot more muscular than she had previously thought, considering that he spent all his time hunched in front of a laptop, eating nothing but sweets. But what had really caught her attention was the huge scar snaking from his shoulder, around to his chest to a point somewhere beneath the hem of his pants.

She snuck another glance. The scar was huge, and looked like it had been there for a while. It was thick and looked painful, winding its way around his body and over his protruding ribs. The marks it left on his skin gave her a disturbing reminder of what Beyond Birthday had looked like after he had lit himself on fire.

Just then, L grabbed the punching bag, holding it still, and looked around, as if he suspected somebody was watching him. Naomi backed up quickly and quietly, cursing herself. How had L heard her? Scratch that, how good was his hearing?

She glanced back at the punching bag, and frowned. L had vanished, leaving the punching bag swinging ever so slightly, as if somebody had rushed off in a hurry. She turned around, and was met with a knife at her throat.

L huffed slightly, flicking his Army knife shut. "What are you doing here, Misora-San?"

Naomi stepped back hastily. "Same as you. . ?"

"I highly doubt that you know exactly what I am doing here, Misora-San." L stepped back as well. "Perhaps this will be made easier if you would tell me what you are doing?"

"I came to use the exercise facilities." Naomi mumbled, looking away. "It's been a while since I've worked out."

L tilted his head. "Your face is red, Misora-San."

"Oh," Naomi covered her face with her hands. "Sorry. It's just that, well. . ." she gestured to his bare chest.

"I see," L took his normal white cotton shirt from where it had been hanging from the handle of a treadmill and pulled it over his head. "Better?"

"Yeah," Naomi glanced at him. "Um, how did you get. . ?" she awkwardly tapped her stomach.

"Oh," L traced the scar on his chest thoughtfully. "That."

"Sorry," Naomi said hurriedly. "If you don't want to talk about it – "

"It's fine, Misora-San." L leaned over and picked up his water bottle, taking a swig.

"So, how. . ?"

"It's what happens when you're standing behind a man who steps on a land mine." L said, grabbing his towel from a nearby bench and wiping his face. "Quite painful, but it was years ago."

Naomi blinked. "What were you doing standing behind a man stepping on a land mine?"

L sighed. "I wasn't always sitting behind a laptop, Naomi. There was a time when I was an excellent field agent – one of the best, I daresay. However, I made a bad call, got most of the people on my team killed, and my superiors, let's say, _encouraged_ me to tone it down a bit and solve my cases from behind a screen."

Naomi stared at him. "Oh. . ."

L smirked. "Have a nice time, Misora-San. I'll see you at the investigation tomorrow."

He slung his towel over his shoulder and walked out of the room, galling back into his normal hunched position, leaving Naomi standing behind him.

Naomi blinked. _What just happened_?

* * *

'What just happened?' My thoughts exactly as I read this chapter over.


	12. Chapter 12: Watari

Told mainly from Quillsh Wammy's POV because we all need to give some love to our favorite butler/sniper every now and then ;)

* * *

Watari sat at his desk typing at his laptop. He snuck a glance at L, and frowned. There was something off about him today. From an outsider's point of view, there was nothing different about the spidery detective – he sat in his normal hunched position, fingers digging through a bag of Jelly Babies, eyes fixed on his laptop screen. But the shadows under his eyes were deeper than normal, and his knuckles looked bruised, as if he had been hitting something repeatedly last night. His back was also curved more than usual, and his hair fell in front of his face, shading his eyes – his _feelings_ – from everybody else.

He turned back to his laptop, shaking his paternal thoughts out of his head and taking a sip of his tea. L was an adult now, and his superior to boot. Gone were the days of him bringing the boy inside and drying his rat's nest off after watching him run around in the rain, trying to catch raindrops on his tongue. He couldn't protect L from everything. He smiled a bit at the sentimental memories, before L's voice broke into his thoughts, no longer bright and bubbly, but monotonous and emotionless. "Watari,"

Watari turned to L. "What is it, Ryuzaki?"

"Maki-San said that, while searching for a way to communicate with me, she met up with Light Yagami. She also that he asked for her name and a form of identification." he tossed a red Jelly Baby in the air and caught it between his teeth.

"Do you suspect him?" Watari asked.

"Somewhat," L shook the empty bag of Jelly Babies, looking disappointed, before reaching for a box of Flying Saucers. "His actions have been suspicious, and Maki-San says that he turned rather irritable and cold after she gave him her fake ID. As if he somehow knew that it was fake." he bit into one of the sherbet-filled wafers with a loud crunch.

Watari resisted the urge to hand him a napkin. "Do you think that he tried to kill her, and failed?"

"Most likely." L tossed one of the sweets between his hands, looking thoughtful. "A thirty percent chance at the least, eighty at the most."

Watari was silent for a moment. "That's a wide range, Ryuzaki."

"I know," L closed his laptop and stood, stretching, before falling back into his normal, hunched position. "That is why I wish to narrow it down."

"And how are you going to do that?"

L walked forwards and opened a new tab on Watari's laptop. He leaned over the keyboard and typed out a URL. A website popped up, and Watari scanned it, before turning to L. "No."

"Yes," L said. "Please arrange for me to take the entrance exam for To-Oh University on the same date, and during the same session as Light Yagami. I will get to know him, and, through analyzing his personality, determine a more definite percentage."

"L," Watari sighed. "Are you sure about this? There is a high chance that you will be killed."

"Actually, there's only a twenty-four-point seven percent chance that he'll be able to kill me." L said, biting into the Flying Saucer. A few flakes of the sweet landed on Watari's suit, and he brushed them aside. "If he is Kira, he will only have my face, and I will be perfectly safe as long as he doesn't discover my name. That is, if he hasn't made contact with this second Kira who apparently has the same eyes as B."

Watari glanced worriedly at L. "You're sure?" he asked.

"Seventy five point three percent." L replied.

Watari sighed and began filling out the application form. "Very well. What alias should I enter you as?"

L traced his chin with his thumb, and grinned. "Hideki Ryuga – a well-known pop idol. When thinking about the name, that is the face that will automatically pop into his mind. If Hideki dies, then we will know whether or not he is Kira at once."

Watari pressed a button. "Done."

"Thank you, Watari." L turned and headed for his private room. "Oh, by the way," he called over his shoulder. "Naomi saw the photo."

Watari stood up immediately, and stared at L's back. "What? How?"

L turned his face ever so slightly so that Watari could see his coal-black eyes. "Because I let her."


	13. Chapter 13: Eraldo

Flashback of how L got that scar because y not -_-

* * *

 _L held the metal detector in front of him, letting the cone-like detector scan his surroundings. There was a beep, and a number of blinking red dots showed up on the monitor he held in his hands._

 _"_ _Got it," he said. "Eighteen mines, all buried at random places with no pattern whatsoever. Be careful, and step_ exactly _where I step."_

 _"_ _Yes, sir." the commander saluted him before turning to the rest of the strike force. "Men, follow L and make sure not to stray even a millimeter away from where he steps!"_

 _"_ _Eraldo," L corrected him. "Outside of headquarters, I am Eraldo."_

 _"_ _My apologies, sir." the commander nodded tersely._

 _"_ _It's alright, just don't forget when we're in public." L lifted his helmet and pulled it over his head, tucking strands of his wild hair away beneath it. He shouldered his rifle, clipped the metal detector to his belt, and pressed a comm button on his suit. "Watari, I'm heading in. Turn on my tracker."_

 _"_ _Yes, sir." a small blue dot appeared amongst the red ones on his map, and L almost jumped back with shock upon seeing that there was a mine not two feet in front of him._

 _He checked the direction of the map before turning his head. "Everybody, make sure to step carefully, make sure not to cause to much disturbance. We don't know what kind of mines we're dealing with, and they could be set off by a hairline tremor." He turned and began to walk forwards, bringing his small feet down gingerly._

 _They had been at this for about three minutes when there was a shout from behind him. L whipped his head around to see one of the soldiers lose his footing and stumble. L's heart caught in his throat as he watched the man fall – right on top of a mine!_

 _He instinctively threw his arms up in front of him, but when there was no explosion, he lowered them, looking hesitant. He glanced at his monitor, and back at the man. He was definitely lying right on top of a mine. "What in the world?"_

 _"_ _L – I mean, Eraldo, what's going on?" the commander asked, looking skittish._

 _"_ _It seems," L said slowly, "That the mines have been deactivated."_

 _"_ _Deactivated?"_

 _"_ _Or tampered with, I don't know." L said, frustrated. He_ hated _not knowing. "It's possible that this is a single faulty mine, but I doubt it." he glanced at a few stones at his feet. "Hmm. . ."_

 _He leaned down and plucked up a decent-sized one. "Stand back," he said._

 _He lifted his arm and chucked the rock forwards. It landed directly on top of another mine, according to L's map. He chuckled. "Three-pointer."_

 _"_ _Eraldo, does this mean that it's safe to proceed without the monitor?" the commander asked him. The other members of the strike team watched him expectantly._

 _L stood for a moment, thinking. "I believe so." there was a cheer, and the team began to move faster, hurrying forwards. "But be careful!" he called. "There's still a three percent chance that there are still active bombs – "_

 _The words had barely left his mouth when one of the men stomped on a mound in the earth, and the ground exploded beneath him._

xxx

"Wait, why do we need them in a line graph?" Matsuda scratched his head. "Isn't a bar graph easier?"

"Line graphs show occurrences over periods of time, which is exactly what we need." L stacked a pile of cream packets as he typed one-handedly. "And make two lines, red for those suspected of being victims of the first Kira, and blue for the second."

"How are we supposed to figure out who killed who?" Matsuda protested.

"Figure it out – you're a detective, aren't you?" L pushed a pile of papers towards Matsuda.

"But – "

"Don't question your superior, Matsuda." Soichiro Yagami said sharply. Matsuda quieted and began typing out a table.

L chucked one of the packets over his shoulder, and heard it land in the bin. He grinned. "That's a three-pointer, correct, Maki-San?"

Naomi shot him a confused look. "What?"

"Never mind," L turned back to his computer, holding out a bag of candy. "Malteser?"

"No, thank you." Naomi wrinkled her nose, looking at the lumpy candies.

"Are you sure? They may look like they belong in the loo, but I assure you, they're not as bad as the Internet makes them seem." he tossed one into his mouth.

There was a sound of someone clearing his throat behind him. L turned around. Watari stood there, holding a sheaf of papers in one hand, and L's coffee in the other. "Ryuzaki, I've completed the preparations." he said. "You will be taking the exam during the same session as him." he handed the coffee to L, who slurped it loudly. "Also, we've received a case for Eraldo Coil. A serial kidnapper, in Berlin."

"Give it to M." L said, placing the coffee on the table. "I'm assuming he's still fluent in his mothertongue?"

"Practices for two hours every day."

"Excellent. Have Roger explain the general basics, and then let him loose." Watari nodded and left the room.

"Wait, Ryuzaki, isn't Eraldo Coil the second greatest detective in the world?" Aizawa asked. "Why are you getting his cases?"

"Because I am Eraldo Coil." L scanned the timetable of Kira's victims from the day before. "He gave me the name after I beat him."

"And who's M?" Mogi asked.

"That, you don't need to know." L poured an excessive amount of cream into his coffee, and stirred it with a lollipop.

"Why are you taking an exam? And with who?" Naomi asked.

L lifted his coffee to his lips. "Well, I had an idea – "

"No kidding." Aizawa grumbled.

" – And decided it may be a good idea to get to know one of my suspects on a personal level." he bit into the coffee-covered lollipop with a crunch.

"Which suspect?" Soichiro Yagami demanded.

L sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "Just wait and see, Yagami-San.

"Wait and see. . ."


	14. Chapter 14: Mihael

I told you I'd add Mello in :)

* * *

Mello huffed irritably as he typed out his report for L. These detectives were idiots! How dumb where they that a _kid_ could solve a kidnapping case better than they could? Seriously, the hardest part had been making sure that he nailed his 'Eraldo Coil' act. What a joke. He pressed the _Print_ button with a growl.

Well, to be fair, that _kid_ was one of the best in Wammy's House. His ego flared slightly as his ten-page report began printing out, full of detailed analyses and deductions. _Only the best for L_ , he thought, picking the papers up and jogging out the door to find Roger.

As he raced down the hallways, he thought about L. More specifically, the case L was currently occupied on. _The Kira case can't be that hard, can it_? he thought. _If L's right, and he always is, Kira's just a student – and an egotistical, easily provoked student at that. How has L not found him yet_?

He rounded a corner, almost crashing into another kid. "Out of the way, dinglehopper!" he snarled, racing ahead.

 _I'm guessing that L's already nailed down the culprit – he just needs more evidence to bring him in, because he police are freaking_ incompetent _._ Mello grinned as he ran by the library. _Maybe I'll try doing some research on Kira myself_. _Who knows? Maybe I might even be able to catch him before L does._

 _He'll_ definitely _make me his successor, then_!

xxx

Matsuda leaned in, eyes narrowed, biting his lip. Naomi could practically see the sweat forming on his brow as he wrinkled his forehead, thinking.

"Raise one hundred." he finally said, pushing a stack of chips towards the centre of the table.

Naomi smirked, "Call." she shoved her own chips forwards.

"What the hell?" Aizawa shuffled his cards. "What kind of cards do you have?"

Naomi resisted the urge to laugh at his panic. "I thought the point of the game was _not_ to tell you that?"

Ukita spluttered indignantly before tossing his cards on the table. " _Fold_. I'll just watch you guys duke it out."

"No, Ukita, don't leave me!" Matsuda sighed. "Check – you go, Shoko-San."

Naomi watched as Ukita stood up, stepping back to watch the game unfold. The Task Force had gone through all the paperwork L had left behind while he was off to the To-Oh University entrance ceremony. Soichiro Yagami was the only one still working, occasionally shooting them disapproving looks as he went over the files for the thousandth time.

Naomi looked from her cards to the table. "Raise two-forty." she finally said, shoving the stack of chips forwards. Matsuda squeaked.

"I'll call." Mogi said, putting his chips forwards. Naomi narrowed her eyes. _He's barely said anything this whole game – what could he have_? she glanced at her cards. _Is it worth it_?

She bit her lip. _Call or fold_? she was about to toss her cards down when the door opened, and L stepped through, pulling a funny-looking mask off his face. He frowned. "Is that my poker kit?"

"Oh, hi, Ryuzaki!" Matsuda waved. "We finished all the work, and didn't know what else to do – I hope that's okay."

L walked behind Naomi, glancing down at her cards, then at the table, before pushing a stack of chips forwards. "Call." he said.

"Hey!" Naomi said indignantly.

"Trust me." he mumbled in her ear.

"What?" Aizawa looked at his cards, at the table, then at Naomi and L. "You're kidding, right?" he tossed his cards on the table. "Fold."

"This is getting intense." Matsuda mumbled as he dropped his cards on the table as well.

Mogi narrowed his eyes. "Check."

"All right." Naomi agreed.

He dropped his cards face-up. "7-pair."

Naomi grinned, before showing her cards to him. "9-pair."

Mogi groaned, and L smiled. He leaned in next to Naomi and whispered in her ear. "Attitude is everything – never forget that, Maki-San."

* * *

The poker scene was inspired by the Webtoon _unOrdinary_ , one of my personal favorites. I definitely recommend you go check it out, because it's EPIC


	15. Chapter 15: Light

_Hideki Ryuga_. Light grit his teeth and hit his desk with his fist. _Asshole_! he thought. _He got me_! Hit by a sudden surge of anger, he swept his arm, wiping his things of his desk. They clattered to the ground.

"Light? Are you alright?" his mother called from downstairs.

Light steadied his breathing. "Fine, Mom. Just dropped some stuff."

He leaned back in his chair, kicking his legs onto his now-empty desk.

"So, what're you gonna do?" Ryuk asked, hovering above him.

Light glanced up at him. "Don't suppose you could tell me whether Hideki Ryuga's his real name, could you?"

"Sorry – I may have a big mouth but I'm not going _that_ far." Ryuk turned an apple around above his mouth. "Ya know, you could always make the eye deal with me – boom, real name!"

"Even if I _would_ make your stupid eye deal, it wouldn't help." Light snarled. "The moment he dies, all eyes will be on me – Shinigami or otherwise."

Ryuk cackled. "Now would be a great time for the Second Kira to show up, wouldn't it?"

xxx

Misa Amane stood in front of the Yagami house, shuffling nervously. "He won't be mad at me if I just show up, will he?"

Rem snorted. "How would I know? In my opinion, you're better off just leaving him alone."

Misa pouted. "I can't do that! I want to help him!" she strode confidently forwards and pushed open the gate. "That's the only reason I got these eyes, after all!"

Rem flew in after her. "You gave up half your lifespan just to help some _human_?" she spat the word out as if it tasted foul. "Misa, just leave and go home! Use the Note for yourself! You can still turn back!"

Misa rang the doorbell. "Not anymore."

The door opened, and a smiling woman with short brown hair appeared in the doorway. Misa glanced above her head. _Sachiko Yagami – his mother_? "Welcome home dea – oh!" she blinked. "I'm sorry. Are you a friend of Sayu's?"

Misa shook her head. "Um, no. Is Tsuki Yagami here? I found a notebook of his, and thought I'd return it."

"Oh, of course!" Sachiko smiled. "Come in!"

She stepped in, taking her shoes off, and bowed to Sachiko. "Thank you, Mrs. Yagami."

"Oh, it's no problem, dear." Sachiko Yagami smiled. "And his name's actually pronounced Light."

"Oh – my mistake. Sorry." Misa smiled. She had already known that, of course, but had decided that it might be smarter to pretend that she had never met Light before.

"Light, darling, could you come down here?" Sachiko called up the stairs. "There's a young lady here, she has your notebook!"

Upstairs, Light sat straight with a jolt. "Notebook?" _Could it be_?

Ryuk cackled. "Speak of the devil! Or Shinigami – whatever."

Light left the room, swatting at Ryuk on his way out. His hand passed right through him, but it gave him some satisfaction anyways.

Light walked down the stairs and did a double take. _What_? Standing in front of him was a short blond woman, hair tied up into two little pigtails. She looked up at him with forget-me-not blue eyes, and smiled slightly. She was wearing a short black dress and an absurd amount of cross jewelry.

 _No way_ , he thought. _Is that Misa-Misa_? She _can't be the second Kira, can she_?

"Oh, hi Light!" she bowed slightly to him. "I'm Misa Amane, I found your notebook." she reached into her purse and pulled out a black notebook that he was surprised was able to fit. She looked up at him, and he reached forwards, taking hold of the corner. He felt a ripple of. . . _something_ was over him, and he looked up to see a. . . _thing_ standing behind Misa. Body made of bones, Medusa-inspired white locks tipped in purple, golden eyes with catlike slits glaring down a pigs' snout of a nose. Fangs bared in obvious hatred and long ivory claws in the stead of hands and feet.

 _A Shinigami_. Light narrowed his eyes. Behind him, Ryuk waved at the other Shinigami. "Hey Rem! Watcha doing down here?"

The other Shinigami, Rem, grit its teeth – Light couldn't tell whether it was a male or female – and made a growling noise in its throat. Misa Amane looked up at him, blinking. "Um, Light-Kun?"

Light grit his teeth. "Oh. . . thanks." he glanced at his mother. "Would you like to come upstairs?"

He could have sworn that he saw the woman blush as he turned around and walked upstairs. He sighed. He just hoped she had something of a brain under that mass of bleached hair.

He sat her down on his bed and turned his chair around, sitting down to face her. There was a long, awkward silence.

The woman cleared her throat. "Um, hi! I'm Misa-Misa Amane – "

"I know who you are." Light said coldly. "But that doesn't matter to me – all that matters is how you found me."

"Aha!" Amane pointed at him, grinning. "I knew it! You didn't make the eye deal! Otherwise you would have killed Beyond Birthday!"

"Well, yeah." Light narrowed his non-Shinigami eyes at her. "And you did?"

"Of course!" she smiled brightly. "I wanted to find you!"

Light felt like hitting himself with a textbook. "And _how_ exactly would Shinigami eyes help with that?"

Misa beamed. "Because you can't see the lifespan of people who own a Death Note! I made sure to ask Rem before making the deal – I didn't want to give up half my life on a false hope."

Light resisted the urge to smack that silly grin off her face. "But what if you hadn't found me? What if I had been in, say, America or something?"

"But L's broadcast – "

"What if I was just visiting?" Light broke her off, and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Listen, I appreciate that you killed Birthday and all, but you _really_ didn't need to send those tapes to the police – now you're just alerting them that Kira's power can be given to other people!"

She looked stunned, as if she hadn't expected him to be upset. "Oh. . . I'm sorry, I just thought – "

"No, you really didn't." Light sighed. "Amane-San, why did you think this was a good idea?"

"She did it for you, Light Yagami." Light looked up. The Shinigami had finally spoken, and had pointed a clawed finger at him. He was almost certain that it was glaring at him. "She wanted to help you, Light Yagami, and I will _not_ stand here and listen to you berate her like this!"

Light briefly considered leaping out the window, but decided against it. "Listen, Rem – that's your name, right? – I'm not _berating_ her. I'm just asking her why she thought it was a good idea to skip in here and basically _ruin_ all of my plans – "

"I can help you!" Amane said suddenly. "I can use my eyes to see L's real name, right?"

Light sighed. "Do you really think that you can just skip up to L and see his face? He's very careful – he'd never reveal himself to you!"

"But you've met him, right?" Misa asked. "Otherwise you wouldn't have said that!"

 _Huh. She's smarter than she looks_. "Well, yeah." he scratched the back of his neck. "But only twice – I doubt that you'll be able to meet him as easily."

"Well, I bet you can arrange some way for us to meet!" Misa smiled. Light felt like smacking himself. _I take it back – she's an utter idiot_.

Light sighed. "Fine. But the moment you see his name, you're done, alright? You tell me his name, and then you give up ownership, forget about me, and go on with your life. Got it?"

Amane opened her mouth, about to reply to him, but the Shinigami, Rem, stepped in between them before she could answer. "No, Light Yagami." it glared at him with its luminous yellow eyes. "This girl gave up half your life to help you, and I will not allow you to throw her away after using her like some tool!"

Light curled his lip in disdain. You're _the ones barging in on_ me _!_ "Well, what do you want me to do, be her boyfriend?" he asked. He instantly regretted it.

" _Yes_!" Amane leapt off the bed, sitting on Light's lap and grinning broadly. "Yes! Yes, I'll be your girlfriend!"

Light grit his teeth. "I wasn't being serious!" _It's going to be a miracle if I get out of this with my sanity intact_. . .

* * *

Light regrets everything XD


	16. Chapter 16: Nate

I'm calling Near a 'them' in this fanfiction because, on the Wiki, Near's actually listed in 'Characters of unknown gender', and in the drama, their gender is left ambiguous, and I really like the idea of them beingagender, since it totally fits their personality

* * *

Near was sitting in the dark, shadowy corner of the library, absentmindedly stacking Legos as they twirled a strand of their white hair around their finger. Even though they were barely paying attention to the plastic pieces, they had already constructed a three-floored building, complete with windows, doors, and a chimney.

Near lifted a small figurine, ready to place it on the balcony, when they heard a loud thump and a voice yelp, "Ouch!"

"Shut up!" another voice hissed. Near tilted their head. Something about that voice was very familiar. "I don't wanna get caught!"

"Can't you just do this in your room?" Near now recognized the voices as Mello and Matt, resident troublemakers. They quickly shoved the Lego creation out of the way and slipped behind a huge loveseat. They had just tucked theirselves into a comfortable, crouched position, something like a little ball, when the library door was opened, and a familiar blond head peeked in.

"Nobody's here – come on."

A younger boy followed him in, r pushing messy dark hair out of his bright green eyes. "Seriously, Mels, why are you so obsessed with this?"

"Why aren't _you_?" Mello demanded, putting his laptop on the ground and stretching out on his stomach. He typed something into the shiny new Mac – his password, Near supposed – and began searching through what Near could only assume were files.

"Um, because I'm not nuts?" Matt sat cross-legged in front of Mello and pulled a 3DS out of his pocket. He plugged a card in and the Kirby theme song drifted across the library.

"Turn that down," Mello growled. "Here, help me look."

Matt sighed, powering down the console. He scooted over to sit next to Mello and peered over his bony shoulder. "Um, try the 'suspects' folder."

Near narrowed their eyes. _Probably looking through the Kira case files again – idiots_.

"Hey, this Light Yagami guy looks pretty suspicious." Matt said excitedly.

Mello slapped him. "Read the notes, dumbass. He's got solid alibis, and even got around video surveillance. If he _is_ Kira, then he's pretty damn good."

 _L's case files_ , Near thought. L always updated all his case files onto the Wammy's House personal network which, in itself, was more secure than most government websites. It was supposed to be 'good practice' for the students to follow L's actions and observe his methods.

 _Illegal methods_. Not that Near cared – they didn't care about whether or not what L did was 'justice', 'righteous', or any of that other crap; they just wanted to solve the puzzle.

Matt and Mello continued discussing Light Yagami, and Near realized, with a sinking feeling in their chest, that they seemed to be intent on staying there all night, or at least until Roger showed up and dragged them back to their rooms by their ears.

They sighed, settling down and twisting a lock of white hair around their finger, resigning themselves to an uncomfortable night.

xxx

Naomi woke up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She sat up, stretching and letting out a yawn. She rubbed her eyes as she checked her wristwatch. _9 am_. She looked around. She seemed to be the first one up. Everybody else was still sleeping like logs, flopped around on the ground, couches, and whatnot. She swung her legs off the couch where she had been sprawled and stood up.

She blinked a few more times, before scratching her forehead. It felt itchy. She felt paper and pulled a sticky note from where it had been stuck where it would not be ignored. She turned it around and saw a note scrawled in scratchy, childlike handwriting. _L_. She smiled.

 _Maki-San, I currently find myself unable to participate in the investigation at present time. Please be aware that I shall be back at around three o'clock. Meanwhile, I wish for you to instruct Mogi-San to arrest Amane Misa at exactly two twenty-six; there is are trackers on all three of her phones, so it shouldn't be hard to find her_.

Naomi frowned. _Amane Misa? The pop star? Why does L want to arrest_ her _? And when did he find time to put trackers on her phones_? she shook her head and kept reading.

 _Please alert Watari that the facility is to be prepared – he will know what I mean. That is all_.

Naomi blinked again, rubbed her eyes, and reread the note. _What. The. Hell_.


	17. Chapter 17: Misa

And here, we have a somewhat cockier, more confident L. Gasp. What a shocker.

* * *

L bounced the ball on the ground, catching it again. "Ready, Light-Kun?"

"When you are, Ryuga." Light called from the other end of the court, twirling his racket around. _Show-off_.

"You asked for it," L tossed the ball in the air and hit it at him. He saw Light blink, and dive to hit the ball back at him. L smirked to himself as he deflected it easily. _Juvenile_. Light seemed to be faster this time, expecting it, and managed to hit the ball back, spinning his arm behind his back.

The ball came at him, barely inside the court. L dove to get it back, hair whipping him in his face. By now, the two of them had attracted quite the crowd, and there was even a girl sitting in the referee's seat, wearing an obscenely short skirt and swinging her legs around. L huffed as he hit the ball back at Light. This time, he was unable to deflect him. L saw Light set his jaw and flare his nostrils. _How is defeat feeling_ , _Kira_? he smirked, tossing the racket into the air and catching it by the handle with forefinger and thumb.

"Whoop! Go Yagami!" L heard someone in the stands shout as the ball came sailing at him again.

"Oh, come on!" he heard a girl whine as he raced to deflect a ball. "Why isn't anybody cheering for my Ryuga? Look at how well he's doing against a national champion!"

 _Well, that's new_. L watched Light miss another ball, and bounced up and down on the balls of his feet as he waited for him to regain his composure. _Normally it's Light getting all the looks_.

He was so preoccupied in his thoughts that he almost missed the next ball. Almost.

He smacked it away, breath coming in short pants. It had been a while since he had to play this hard. He deflected another ball from Light, before glancing at the large clock leaned up against the fence. He groaned inwardly, running across the court to get to the other ball. _One hour to go –_ please _hurry, Naomi_.

xxx

L took a drink from his water bottle, draining it, before tossing it into a nearby trash can. _Leave no traces_.

"Hey," he looked up to the smiling face of Yagami Light. _How'd he sneak up on me_? "That was fun, Ryuga. It's been a while since I had to play that hard."

"You and me both." he held out a hand. "Good win."

"Thanks – I thought you'd beat me for a moment, you were so good. I guess L isn't just good at sitting around and solving cases, huh?"

"Physical health and strength are always important." L lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe at some sweat on his face. _Jesus, Mary, and above, he plays hard – when's the last time I actually_ sweated _?_

He noticed Light gaping at his abdomen. He glanced down and saw that he was ogling at his scar. He quickly let the shirt drop.

"Sorry," Light said, not even bothering to hide his shock. "Um, how'd that happen?"

"I had an interest in homemade explosives as a child." L's lie flowed off his tongue as smoothly as if it had been true. _The truth is what you make it to be_. "And, by the way, that question has raised your chances of being Kira to four percent."

"Jeez, can't a guy ask a question without being suspected of mass murder?" Light laughed, and L frowned. _He looks so innocent. . . could it be that I'm wrong_? he shook his head.

"Hey, you want to go to the cafeteria?" Light asked. "I'm a bit hungry."

"Sure – I was craving some shortcake, anyways." L followed Light. _Follow when needed, and lead when you must_.

As the two of them were walking towards the cafeteria, there was a sharp squeal from behind them that might have been a pig being stabbed, a police siren on steroids, car tires screeching on a blacktop, or all three. " _Light_!"

L turned around just in time to see something roughly the size and shape of a blond cannonball rocketing towards them. He leapt out of the way as it rammed into Light. A closer look confirmed that it was, in fact, Misa-Misa Amane, the popstar suspected to be the second Kira.

"Light! I had a shoot nearby and I just _had_ to come and see you!" she hugged him tightly, squeezing so hard that Light's face began to take on a mild shade of purple. "I missed you!"

"Yeah, thanks." Light sounded exasperated, prying at her arms. "If you could just let me breathe. . ." he glanced at something behind Misa, looking peeved. L glanced over, but saw nothing. _A Shinigami_?

"Sorry, Light-kun!" Misa rubbed her face on Light's chest before letting go. "I just missed you so much!" she looked over at L. "And who's this? Your friend?"

"Yeah, this is Hideki Ryuga." Light said, looking oddly triumphant. "He gave the entrance ceremony speech with me, remember?"

"Hi there, Mr. . . Hideki?" Misa trailed off as her gaze was drawn to something just above L's head. He glanced up but, again, saw nothing there.

"He has the same name as the famous idol – isn't that weird?" Light asked, hastily stepping between the two of them. "Hey, we're headed to the cafeteria, why don't – "

He was interrupted by a group of students. "Oh my god, is that Misa-Misa?"

"Holy crap, you're right!"

"Where is she? Let me see!"

A group of students flooded them, and Misa giggled. "Guess I should have known I'd be recognize – oops!"

"You're so cool, Misa!" a girl squealed as Misa autographed her phone case. "And pretty!"

"Aw, thanks!" she smiled. "I couldn't do it – hey, somebody just touched my butt!"

There were gasps, quickly followed by giggles. L smiled to himself, slipping behind Light as the crowd slowly dispersed, tucking the stolen phone into his pocket. _Disgusting, but worth it_.

Misa's work phone ringed, and she checked it. "Argh! I'm late!" she stood on her toes and kissed Light on the cheek. "See you later, Light! Bye, Hideki-San!" she ran off, gothic handbag swinging.

"I should go too." L said, checking his watch. "Sorry, Light – guess you'll have to go to the cafeteria alone."

"No, I get it." Light's smile looked oddly electric. "Duty calls, and all."

L nodded, turning away. He had barely taken five steps when Misa's phone rang. He held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

There was silence. Then a voice, from both in the phone and behind him, said, "Ryuga?"

"Oh, hello, Light." L said, barely containing his smirk. "Somebody just happened to drop this phone, and I picked it up." he could practically hear Light gritting his teeth.

"That's Misa's," he said, voice sounding barely controlled. "Give it back."

"Oh, of course, Light-Kun." L said, hanging up and turning around, holding the mobile out to Light. "That's interesting, Light." he said, tilting his head. "Do you truly love her so much that you need to hear her voice the moment you part? Or did you just need to ask her something very, very important?" Light narrowed his eyes, and L smiled wanly. "Well, see you, Light."

Light nodded tersely, and turned around, walking away. As he did, he pulled his phone out of his pocket again (bright pink – he was willing to bet his next shipment of Pear Drops from England that it was Misa's) and dialed a number.

At that moment, his own phone rang. Light whipped around. "Oh, it's my phone this time," L mumbled, pulling it out and holding it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Ryuzaki?" Mogi said from the other end. "We've got the target – she didn't resist arrest."

"Excellent, please bring her to the rendezvous point." L said, before hanging up and tucking it back into his pocket. "Well, Light," he said. "I think you should know that we have just arrested Misa Amane on suspicion of being the second Kira."

"You – what?" Light's jaw dropped. "Why would you do that?"

"We found evidence in her room linking her to the Sakura TV tapes," L said. "I would appreciate it if I could take her phone as evidence – both her phones."

Light bit his lip before handing over the two flashy, Bedazzled cell phones. "How long are you going to confine her?" he asked.

L tucked the phones into his pocket. "As long as necessary." he said. "Oh, and by the way," he added as Light turned away. "What does a college student need with two phones?" he asked.

Light bit his lip, and L grinned. "See you, Light."


	18. Chapter 18: Rem

Just a random question, but what phones do you think the Death Note characters would have? I feel like L would have a Nokia or something, because he can't have his face or fingerprint on record (sorry Apple); Light would probably have a Huawei or something, because he's super practical; I think Misa would definitely have an iPhone X, because she's Misa *eyeroll*; I also think the Wammy's kids would all have Samsungs, because why not

* * *

Rem stood, watching as the humans grabbed Misa, yanking a blindfold over her eyes and gagging her. The tall, burly man in the helmet cuffed her hands behind her back. "Amane Misa, you are under arrest for suspicion of being the second Kira. You have the right to remain silent."

She growled, swiping at the man. "Stay away from her!" but her claws passed straight through him. She stepped back, staring helplessly as the humans shoved Misa into a car.

"Misa. . ." she hovered above the vehicle, flying after it as it drove away. _Why don't you fight back? Why do you suffer all this for a human to which you mean nothing_?

She bit her (non-existent) lip and flew after the car, helpless to save Misa, able only to watch.

xxx

Naomi watched L as he licked a lollipop, spinning around in his chair. She noted how he seemed more cheerful than usual, the corners of his lips turned slightly upwards, dark eyes somewhat brighter. Despite the current situation, he seemed to be the possessor of some childlike glee. Compared to the rest of the Task Force members, he was positively glowing with optimism.

"Ryuzaki, I don't get why we have to do all this." Aizawa sighed. "We have interrogation rooms at the station – "

"This is the potential second Kira we're dealing with, Aizawa-San, and I certainly doubt that there would be anybody willing to question her with nothing but a table and a mask between them." L nibbled on the edge of his lollipop. "Watari is currently making preparations so that we can question her safely."

"And what preparations would those be, exactly?" Soichiro Yagami asked.

L's phone beeped, and he pulled it out to check the text. "You're about to find out." he leaned forwards and pressed a button.

The Task Force members gasped, and Naomi bit her lip. On the television screen was an image of Misa Amane, wearing a straightjacket and bound to a board, blindfold covering her eyes, in a blank, concrete room. The girl whimpered pitifully and shifted around in the uncomfortable situation.

"Ryuzaki, what the hell is this?" Aizawa roared, jumping out of his seat. "Appropriate measures, my ass!"

"He's right!" Matsuda cried. "You can't do this – this is criminal!"

"I am a criminal." the four words silenced the police officers, who looked at him, evidently confused. "Now, please, just go. I don't need your complaints getting in the way of the investigation. You may come back tomorrow." he rolled his chair so that he was directly in front of the television. The other Task Force members left, muttering disgruntledly amongst themselves.

Naomi realized that she was still there, standing behind L, staring at him. No, not staring – _observing_. Observing. She watched the mop of silky black hair tilt, and his face, turn towards her. "You're still here, Misora-San."

A chill ran down Naomi's spine. She had been addressed as "Shoko", and "Maki-San" for so long that she had almost fooled herself into believing that it was the truth. Hearing her real name, to her, felt like she had had two disconnected wires wrap themselves around each other in her brain, sending a spark through her body.

 _How does L manage it_? she thought suddenly. _Every day, he deals with aliases, secrets, lies, and deceit. How does he manage to stay sane throughout it all? How does he manage to remember who_ he _is? He has dozens of names, all of them fake – he doesn't even have a legal existence_. She bit her lip, feeling a sudden rush of guilt. _Everybody calls him Ryuzaki, but that's not his real name. And I'm just confusing him even more by calling him L, which_ can't _be his real name_.

"Misora-San." L's voice broke into her thoughts and she realized, with embarrassment, that she had been staring at him for almost a minute. "You may leave, if you so wish."

Naomi shrugged, and smiled. "Where would I go?"

"I suppose," L smiled, but Naomi noticed that it seemed sadder, almost regretful. "Well, you're welcome to join me, but I would much prefer if you left."

Naomi was surprised to discover that she felt hurt. "Why?" she asked, before realizing what it sounded like. "I mean," she quickly amended. "I can go, if you like."

"No, it's not you." L said. "It's just. . . well, most people would be, say, disturbed, at some of my methods."

"It's fine." Naomi said. "I feel like, at this point, nothing would surprise me anymore."

"No, Naomi." L bit his lip, and Naomi saw an emotion that she thought L would never show flicker across his face – nervousness, fear, hesitance and, dare she say it, doubt? "I'll do anything – literally, _anything_ – to solve a case."

"Oh," Naomi said, finally understanding. "Oh. _Oh_."

"Do you still wish to stay?" L asked, dark eyes boring into hers.

Naomi hesitated only for a second. "Yes."

L sighed, gesturing to the seat next to him, before leaning forwards and pressing a button on his microphone. "Watari, begin."

Naomi gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as the screams filled the room.

xxx

It was hours later when L finally said, "I think that will be enough for today, Watari. Please return to headquarters. We will try again tomorrow."

On screen, Watari nodded, and the image blinked away. Naomi stood up, legs shaking slightly. _L. . . I've never seen him – I've never seen_ anyone _do those kinds of things so calmly before_. She stretched, before glancing at him again. _It scares me. . . but it's also intriguing. And strangely motivating?_

"Are you alright, Misora-San?" L asked Naomi. "Your face is pale."

She turned away from him, suddenly self-conscious. "Yes, it's just that that. . ." she gestured weakly at the television. "It's a lot." she finished lamely.

"I told you that you didn't have to stay." L got out of his chair, surprisingly nimble for a man who had been crouching the past few hours. He stretched, arm reaching into the air, the hem of his shirt lifting slightly. Naomi saw a sliver of his exposed abdomen, a portion of his scar flickering across it, and turned away quickly. _What the heck, Massacre_ , she thought to herself. _What's going on? Why am I so embarrassed? I'm normally so professional, and now, here I am, acting like some pathetic schoolgirl_. She shook her head.

"Are you all right, Naomi?" L asked, and Naomi turned around. She barely saw L's big black eyes before her lips brushed something else.

She leapt back, face burning as if she had just stuck it in a fire. L had covered most of his face with his hand, turning his head away, and Naomi saw that his cheeks, normally pale and colorless, were tinted pink.

There was silence, broken by Naomi. "Sorry," she muttered, covering her hand with her mouth.

"My fault completely, Misora-San." L mumbled, averting his gaze. Naomi noted that his ears were tipped in pink as well.

"You called me Naomi before," she muttered, not really understanding why she was saying it.

"So I did," L replied, voice slightly muffled. "So I did. . ."


	19. Chapter 19: Matt

This chapter jumps over the period of a couple weeks, and I completely skip some scenes because imma lazy bum :)

* * *

Light handed the notebook to Rem, nodding irritably at her as she shot him an angry glare and flew away. _Goddamnit_ , he thought. _This is all your fault, Rem, for bringing another Death Note to the human world – and giving it to_ Misa _, of all people. Now I have to go through all this trouble to save that brat_.

"Gotta say, Light, I never thought that you would end up burying Misa's Death Note here, under all this dirt." Ryuk stomped on the ground where Light had buried Gelus' notebook. "Watcha gonna do with it, then?"

"Not telling," Light replied as he began walking out of the woods. "You like excitement, right?"

"Almost as much as I like apples." Ryuk did a backflip in the air as he flew after Light.

"Well, in that case, Ryuk," Light said as he stood by the road and waved down a taxi. "I'm not going to be telling you anything but this – the next time I say the words, 'get rid of it', no matter what context, assume that I mean to give up ownership of the Death Note."

"What?" Ryuk asked as Light opened the door to the taxi. "Give it up? I thought you were going to rid the world of all evil and all! Are you really just gonna leave me hanging! Hey, Light!"

Light's only response was a smirk over his shoulder.

xxx

"He _might_ be Kira," Naomi growled, glaring at the television screen. "What a load of bull – he is Kira, and he knows we know it."

"Maki-San!" Soichiro Yagami gasped.

Naomi sighed, before turning back to the surveillance footage. "Whatever."

xxx

Watari glanced over at L and Naomi, noticing that the two were sitting further apart than usual. They also seemed to be taking particular care not to look directly at each other. They were also sitting further than usual. He frowned as he poured L's tea into his favorite china cup. _Did something happen_?

xxx

Light sat on the cell bed, feeling oddly vulnerable as L's camera peered down at him. _Hurry the hell up, Rem_ , he thought. _I can't keep them guessing forever_.

Ryuk sat beside him, sighing. "Jeez, Light, I don't know about you, but this doesn't really count as _interesting_ for me."

Light grit his teeth. _Damned Shinigami._ . .

xxx

Matt rolled over, lying on his back to look at Mello. He was lying on the king-sized bed in Mello's room, while Mello himself was seated in a loveseat on the other side of the room, feet kicked up onto the desk next to him.

Matt hung his head off the side of the bed, looking at the upside-down blonde. "Mels, can I go now?"

"No," Mello's printer beeped, and he stood up to grab the paper, which he dropped on Matt's head as he walked past him. "Look through those graphs." he hopped onto the bed, which bounced slightly as he settled his weight, opening up his laptop again.

" _Mels_ ," Matt complained.

"Shut up!" Mello said suddenly. "I found something!" he turned his laptop to Matt, a wild excitement evident in his eyes. "Look!"

Matt looked. "It's the security footage of Light Yagami."

"Yeah!" Mello said, looking frustrated. "Look closer!"

Matt looked closer. "He has a dumb hairstyle."

"Matt!"

"If he dyed it, he would look just like Suga."

"Look at his _hand_." Mello wheedled. "In the _chip bag_."

Matt pulled his goggles away from his eyes and leaned forwards squinting. "He's been rifling around for an awfully long time. . ."

"Either he's really picky about his chips, or he's being careful. . . as if he doesn't want to move the bag!" Mello said excitedly.

"Like there's something hidden in it!" Matt exclaimed.

Mello beamed. "Start typing, Matt – we need to get a report to L right away!"

xxx

"Two weeks already," Matsuda sighed, looking forlornly at the television screens. "Poor kids. And the Chief, too."

"They knew what they were doing, Matsuda." Aizawa said, voice heavy. "Well, not Amane, I guess – but, still."

"We need to let them go soon," Mogi said. "Any longer, and this will be illegal."

"So be it," L sipped his tea, before wrinkling his nose and dropping a few more sugar cubes in. "Nobody leaves until I get my info."

"L – !" Aizawa stopped as L raised a hand, eyebrow arched. _Regal_ , Naomi thought. _Wait, what_?

An M in the same Cloister Black font as L's signature letter was blinking on his laptop. L clicked a button on the bottom, with the English word _Accept_ printed on it. "M?"

"L!" the voice spoke in English and, though coming through a filter similar to L's, sounded ecstatic. "We've found something!" the Task Force members exchanged confused looks.

"L, what –" L raised a finger, silencing Mogi.

"We?" L asked the voice in the computer, smiling lightly, speaking in English as well. Behind them, Watari chuckled. "Am I correct in assuming Matt's with you!"

"Uh-huh!"

"And would I also be correct in assuming that it is currently," L glanced at the clock at the top right corner of his screen, "That it is currently three twenty-four in the UK?"

"Um. . ." the voice hesitated. "Well, ya see – "

"Don't worry." L said, grinning as if speaking to a child. _Maybe he_ is _speaking to a child_ , Naomi thought. _He did say he worked with children, after all_. "Tell me what you got, and if it's good, I'll consider not cutting off your internet for the next month."

"Ah, okay!" the voice sounded somewhat panicked now, and Mogi chuckled. "Well, Matty and I looked over the surveillance footage for Light Yagami – " Aizawa shot L a suspicious look, which he ignored. "— and we noticed something!"

"Pray tell," L said, sipping his tea. "The suspense is killing me."

"The chip bag!" M exclaimed. "His hand's moving around in there – like he's being careful! We thought – "

"That he may have hidden something in there!" L gasped, jumping up. "Either the murder weapon, or – "

"A mini LCD TV?" Naomi suggested tentatively, also in English.

"L, is that a _girl_ with you?" M sounded incredulous. Naomi flushed but L ignored him.

"So, either he was getting information from something _inside_ the chip bag, and did something that we couldn't pick up to kill them, or the killing tool was literally _right there_ in the chip bag! Holy crap, M, you're a genius!" Naomi stifled a laugh into her fist, and the other, non-English speaking, Task Force members exchanged confused looks.

"I know. Also, are you high?" M asked. Naomi snorted and Matsuda blinked confusedly.

"M, your chocolate and Matt's video games are in Roger's safe, along with Linda's _Seventeen_ magazines and X's flyswatter, the combination's in one of the umbrellas by the library, in the stand that looks like an elephant." L said all this as he grabbed the laptop and leapt over the back of his seat, racing for the door.

"L, what is going on!" Aizawa demanded as L ran by him, grabbing a handful of caramels from a bowl on a table.

"You'll see!" L called back as he ran out the door, somehow balancing the candy and laptop, which he slammed shut with his chin. "Watari, get the lie detector! Maki-San, come with me!"

xxx

Light sat on the jail bed, trying to hide his impatience. _Well, it's about time_ , he thought, watching L as he typed quickly into his laptop, Shoko Maki ( _When the hell did_ she _start working for him_?) stood behind him, glaring daggers at Light.

"Light-Kun, the lie detector has now been set up." L leaned back, watching the monitor on his computer. "Now," he leaned forwards, eyes narrowed. " _Are you Kira_?"

Light sat there, pretending to be trapped in a haze. "I. . ." he frowned. "Goddamnit," he sighed, leaning back. "If I'm going to do this, then this useless pride. . ." he shot a sideways glance at Ryuk, who perked up, tilting his head. "I guess I've gotta. . . _get rid of it_!"

Ryuk leapt up. "Got it, boss!" he waked through a wall, voice carrying through. "See ya."

Naomi frowned at Light. _What a weird thing to say_.

Suddenly, he slumped forwards, head sliding to the side, landing on the bed. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing shallowly.

"What the hell?" Naomi walked forwards, but L grabbed her wrist. She felt her cheeks go pink, and mentally slapped herself. _Stop it! This is the Kira investigation! You're here to avenge your_ fiancée _, not crush on your superior_! she slapped herself again. _And don't think like that! I don't_ like _him. . . I'm merely_ intrigued.

"Wait," L said quietly, watching Light fixatedly. "One minute."

The pair watched carefully. About half a minute later, Light lifted his head, slowly, blinking confusedly. "Wha – " he looked around, before staring at Naomi and L.

"Ryuzaki, Maki-San, this is a mistake!" he said, sounding panicked. "I know I agreed to this, but it's nuts! I would remember killing all those people, there's no way it was unconscious!"

"Very well, then," L leaned forwards. "What can you tell me about November 21st?" the night of the potato chip bag incident.

"I – " Light frowned, as if thinking carefully. "I – I went home, and studied." he wrinkled his brow, frustrated. "How am I supposed to know, it was just a normal day!"

"Did you eat any potato chips?" L asked, pressing harder. "Specifically, consommé flavored Calbee ones in a mega-pack?"

"We. . . we always buy Calbee chips, and I'm the only one who likes consommé. . ." Light frowned. "But I don't remember eating those for a while."

L's laptop dinged, and Naomi leaned over to check it. "He's. . . telling the truth. What?" she frowned. "That's not right!"

"Time for the game-changer," L muttered, before leaning forwards, staring intensely at Light. "Light Yagami; _are you Kira_?"

"No!" the laptop pinged, and Naomi and L exchanged bewildered looks.

"It's the truth." Naomi said, and L shook his head.

"I'm not lying!" Light practically pleaded. "I'm _not Kira_ – how could you think me to be that _monster_?"

The computer kept dinging his innocence, and Naomi clenched her hands into fists. "L – "

"Fine," L sighed, interrupting her. "Light Yagami, you're free to go."

"What?" Naomi asked as Light's face lit up.

"But, there are conditions." Light's face fell, and Naomi chuckled.

"Great."

* * *

Suga, because even Wammy's boys like BTS XD


	20. Chapter 20: Higuchi

Kyosuke twirled his pen around in his fingers, staring at the simple black notebook in front of him, plain but for a few white marks on the front.

"Death Note," he mused, tapping his finger on his desk. A notebook that would kill whoever's name was written in it. Kira's killing tool. And now, his own to use. A quick succession of tests had proven the notebook to be real. But now what?

"Rem," he addressed the bony creature, standing behind him like an honor guard, watching him, day and night. "I'm allowed to use this notebook for whatever I want, as long as I carry out Kira's killings every day?"

"Yes – kill the criminals broadcast on the news, and the notebook is yours." the creature glared at Kyosuke with glowing yellow eyes, but his back was turned, and he noticed none of the hatred directed his way.

A wicked grin split across his face, and he pressed a button. A projector above him flicked on, and the names and faces of all the reported criminals from the past two weeks appeared on the screen in front of him. He clicked the end of the pen, and put it to the creamy white paper. "Well, in that case. . ."

xxx

"Fifty-six!" Aizawa slammed a sheaf of papers onto the long table in front of the huge monitor system in L's new building. "Fifty-six killings in the past week!"

"That bastard," Light snarled, hitting the table, looking genuinely furious. _Or maybe that's just because he_ is _Kira, and he's still chained to L_. Naomi glanced at the three-foot chain linking the two men and winced. _I can't even imagine what L feels like_.

xxx

L was annoyed.

Light Yagami kept _moving_. He was always standing up, shifting, or getting something. The cuff kept rubbing against L's skin, and the chain kept _clinking_. It was quiet, but that made it all the more irritating for L. Every time there was a quiet tinkling noise, he grit his teeth and clenched his fists, often crumpling a sheet of paper, therefore making even _more_ noise. He had ground his teeth so often that Watari had started making him wear his night guard again.

 _This would be so much easier if Light would just_ admit _to being Kira_ , he thought, annoyed, as Light typed, moving his arms around way more than L thought necessary. _We know he is – but the lie detector. . ._

He shook his head. It wasn't like him to be so impatient. _Perhaps spending excessive amounts of time around impulsive people like Aizawa and Naomi is affecting my judgement_. At the thought of Naomi, he felt his cheeks go warm, and he shot a quick, furtive glance at the woman seated on the other side of the room. His cheeks turned even hotter as he thought of the quick, accidental kiss the two of them had shared a few weeks ago.

 _Did that even count as a kiss_? he thought, sipping his coffee. _I don't even know anymore – and why do I even_ care _? It was an accident. Acc-i-dent_.

He pressed a button forcefully, turning his gaze away from Naomi. _Accident._

xxx

 _"Okay, my turn!" Teresa giggled. Kimiko and Fred moved apart, scooting to opposite sides of the circle, faces burning red. Lawliet giggled, feeling himself blush as Teresa positioned the bottle._

 _"Best of luck, fellas," she winked, and Lawliet felt his stomach turn. Beyond wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she stuck out her tongue at him._

 _Harry rubbed his hands together, grinning excitedly. "Finally, I've been waiting for this all night!"_

 _Janice wrinkled her nose at him. "You're gross, you know that?"_

 _"Hey, I thought it was my turn to spin the bottle, not your guys' turn to chat." Teresa grinned at them, before spinning the bottle._

 _Lawliet closed his eyes and prayed silently, mantra-like._ Don't be me, don't be me, don't be me. _He peeked out of one eye, and saw the bottle pointed directly at him._

 _"Ooh!" Zelda leaned back, covering her mouth, hiding a sneer. "Lawliet's gotta kiss Teresa!"_

 _Lawliet felt his face flush, and Beyond nudged him. "Lucky ass."_

 _Teresa laughed. "Come on, I don't bite."_

 _"Most of the time," Xavier muttered._

 _Teresa smacked him. "You're going to scare him!"_

 _"He_ should _be scared," Fred laughed. Kimiko punched him._

 _"C'mere," Teresa beckoned Lawliet forwards, and he scooted towards her, face red. "Oh, what the hell," she laughed, grabbing his face and slamming her lips against his._

 _She released him, sitting back on her feet, wiping her mouth. "You, sir, need to cut back on your sugar."_

 _The laughs of his peers filled the room as Lawliet's cheeks flushed different shades of red._

xxx

"Ryuzaki, I think I've found something," Light said, tugging gently at L's sleeve, causing the chain to clank even _more_.

"What is it?" L pushed his chair away, rolling across the cold linoleum floor to crouch next to Light.

"Five CEOs, leaders in their fields, have died in the past month, all five of them from heart attacks," Light said, showing his screen to L. Lines moved across the screen, marking the success of the five businesses. "As a result, all of their companies' shares and success over the past few weeks have plummeted. We _could_ mark this as an accident but," Light pressed another button, and a different colored line traced its way over the graph, climbing steadily upwards. "I've noticed that all of these deaths have been remarkably beneficial to one company – Yotsuba Group."

"You think that Kira is in Yotsuba," L said. "Well, it's certainly a theory."

"You think?" Light grinned. Naomi frowned. _Something about this doesn't add up_. . .

She sighed, turning back. _But I can't talk to him about it, not while he's stuck to Light_ , she typed angrily, opening up the Yotsuba Group's homepage. _Something about him seems off. . . it's almost like he_ changed _while he was in confinement._

There was a sudden ding, and a notification popped up in the corner of her screen. She frowned. _An IM_? She clicked on the notification.

 _Meet me in the lobby later – I wish to ask your opinion on something in private_.

 _L_! She glanced at him, and he smirked. _Clever devil_.

She typed quickly. _What about Light_?

His response was quick; however, he did not change position at his computer. You never would have known that he was messaging someone. _I'll be able to get away – be there by midnight_.

She chuckled, typing back into the laptop. _Will do, boss_.

xxx

Kyosuke sat amongst the other seven members of the 'Secret Council', tapping a pen against the table, trying not to laugh, allowing only a slight smirk to grace his lips.

"What's this about, Higuchi?" Mido asked, sitting down on one side of the octagon.

He spread his hands, trying not to look to smug. "Don't know, Mido. I got the same email that all of you did."

"Well, I hope _whoever_ called us to this meeting will get it over quickly – I'm a busy man." Takahashi snapped, tapping his fingers on the table.

Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed, and their tablets lit up. "What's going on?" Kida demanded.

A Cloister Black, silver K lit up their tablets. "What the hell?" Ooi demanded, looking scared.

"Greetings, top members of the Yotsuba Group," a filtered voice spoke through the speakers on their tablets. "I am Kira."

Gasps filled the room, and Hatori fell out of his chair.

"I have chosen to support the Yostuba Group, because I believe that all of you have a strong notion of justice." the filtered voice continued to speak, and a grin tugged at the edges of Kyosuke's lips. _Excellent work, Hideki Asahi of the technology department – you're a good actor. Too bad you'll die the moment this broadcast ends_.

"This is insane!" Kida shouted.

"Therefore, as a reward for your hard work, I will grant you a certain power – every week, you will choose one person you deem to be unrighteous. Whether this is a death that will benefit your company or not, I do not care. You will speak to nobody outside of these meetings about what goes on within this room, and no one shall know that Kira works amongst you. I will email you weekly about what time the meetings shall occur. That is all."

The K blinked off the screen, and the lights came back on.

A smirk spread across Kyosuke's face. _That's right. . . Kira. . ._

 _Because I_ am _Kira_.

* * *

I'm saying the 'spin the bottle' scene happens when L is about nine, because all children spend their childhood making out while hiding from an angry orphanage director with an umbrella


	21. Chapter 21: Ryuk

Even more time-skipping, because we've already established that I am lazy af. I'm just going to assume you know what spot on the timeline we're on, and if you don't, whelp. . . o_O Also, two chapters today because my friend bribed me with ice cream :)

* * *

Ryuk lay on the top of a building, twirling an apple around over his mouth. He bit into it with a crunch, before glancing down at the bustling traffic and pedestrians below him and reaching for his own Death Note, scrawling the name of a random human into it. As an afterthought, he also scrawled the word 'accident' in afterwards.

He licked at the juice trickling down the side of the apple, and was considering whether or not he would be able to fit the whole thing in his mouth, when there was a crash and screams from below. He huffed, biting into the fruit. _Ever since Kira appeared, I can't even kill humans with heart attacks anymore – I can't believe Light's making me write a_ cause _of death after every name. He's taking all the fun out of being a Shinigami_!

He rolled off the side of the building, closing his eyes as the wind blew past his face. _He said that this would be interesting, but so far, I've just been sitting around and eating apples_. He opened his eyes and spread his wings right before he hit the ground. He flapped them once, sailing back up into the sky, chuckling as the humans looked around, confused at the sudden breeze.

 _Not that there's anything wrong with apples_ , he glided in the air for a bit, before tucking his wings behind him and falling into a steep nosedive, cackling as he went.

xxx

Naomi sat in one of the plush, fancy chairs in the hotel lobby, absent-mindedly playing a game on her mobile.

"Naomi," she looked up.

"L!" she switched off her phone and stood up. "What about the security cameras?"

"I've put them on a loop," he said, smiling. As far as the hotel workers are concerned, nobody's been in or out of this lobby for the past ten minutes, and nobody _will_ come in until we're done talking."

"Light?" Naomi asked, glancing at his cuff-free wrist.

"I chained him to a bedpost."

Naomi nodded, ignoring the random stab of jealousy. _Jealousy_?

"What did you want to discuss?" Naomi asked, sitting down. L hopped up onto another seat, tracing his thumb with his finger.

"Yotsuba." he said. "Something about the whole thing just doesn't add up."

"That's what I thought!" Naomi exclaimed. "I mean, if Kira _is_ in Yotsuba, why did he only now start supporting the company?"

"And why did the discrimination between evil criminals and people who didn't mean to kill anyone, or regret their crimes, disappear?" L asked.

"And then there's the interrogation," Naomi said. "Light burst out that weird line about 'getting rid of his pride', before suddenly falling unconscious! And when he woke up, his behavior was just so. . . _different_."

"That is what leads me to believe," L said, looking excited, "That Light is Kira – or rather, _was_."

"You think that he passed his power onto someone else? Someone in Yotsuba?" Naomi asked.

"I'm almost a hundred percent certain." L said, tapping his chin. "The only problem would be that it seems the memories of being Kira vanishes along with the power."

"So, Kira could protect himself by giving the power to other people and losing the memories whenever he does so, therefore never being able to be pinned down." Naomi sighed.

"It's also possible that Kira could make it so that the power _and_ the memories return when he is no longer under suspicion." L wiggled his toes, deep in thought.

"If we could find the killing tool, then everything could be cracked open." Naomi said.

"That's true," L mused, absent-mindedly flicking a strand of his onyx hair away from his face. Naomi watched the hair move away, before settling back into its original position. His hair was surprisingly soft, almost silky, considering he ate almost nothing but sweets. "Well, that's some food for thought. Thank you, Misora-San."

xxx

 _Taro Matsui_ , Kyosuke wrote the name underneath the many criminals he had punished that day, thinking about the idiotic man's face. He closed the notebook, pushing his chair away from his desk. _He may be dead, but I can't leave any loose ends_.

"Rem," he addressed the Shinigami. "Why did Kira tell you to give the notebook to me?"

"He didn't," Rem replied. "He told me to give it to whoever I pleased." she didn't tell him how Light Yagami had instructed her to give the notebook to a person who was 'greedy, selfish, and definitely going to use the Death Note for his own purposes'. _Light Yagami. . . you say this is the only way to save Misa, but as far as I know, both of you are still under suspicion – what's going on_?

"Put the notebook in the usual place, Rem," he instructed her, standing up and leaving the room and letting it close behind him.

Rem clenched her fists as the door slammed shut, seething. _Light Yagami, I swear. . . if you don't make a move soon, I'll be forced to act on my own_.

xxx

"What in the world is he doing?" Light wondered, watching Higuchi through the cameras on the screen. _Eyes? Rem? Writing his name? What's going on_?

"What do you think Rem is?" Naomi asked, digging her nails into L's chair.

"A Shinigami?" L suggested.

"Damnit, it won't rewind!" Higuchi cursed on screen, hitting his seat. "I have to go there in person! Rem, what should I do?"

"There he goes again!" Aizawa said, pointing at the screen. "Rem!"

"You're right – gee, Rem, you sure are smart for a Shinigami."

"He said it!" Light exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and running to look closer at the screen, yanking L out of his chair. "Rem's a Shinigami! This confirms it – Higuchi's got a Shinigami!"

"Not quite, Light-Kun," L said, picking himself up. "There's still the possibility that he's delusional, seeing things, or simply insane – "

"But we still have something to connect him to Kira!" Aizawa protested.

"I suppose so," L mused. "Aizawa-San – "

There was a beep, and Mogi's voice came through the speakers. "Ryuzaki, Higuchi was just flagged down by a traffic cop, but ditched – holy crap!"

"What is it?" L asked, sharing an alarmed look with Naomi.

"The cop just ran into a truck – he's dead!"

"Eyes. . ." L's own eyes flew open. "The eyes must be the power that allows a person to know a person's name just by seeing their face!"

"It's too dangerous to just let him go to the studio!" Naomi said. "We have to get Matsuda out of there!" the other Task Force members glanced at each other. _Since when was she allowed to call the shots_?

"You're right." L lifted his phone to his ear, yanking on the chain as he did. "We need to get to the studio right away – Mogi, stop trailing Higuchi, get to Sakura TV as fast as you can, get everybody out of there except for our members. Tell everybody to cover their faces, and replace the Matsuda and the announcer with the figurines and recordings we prepared beforehand."

"How are we going to get there?" Light asked, tugged to his feet by L. "There's going to be too much traffic – "

"There's a reason I had helicopter pads installed," L said, heading for the stairs, Light in tow. "Aizawa-San, Maki-San, head to the studio in Aizawa's police cruiser, bring guns and cover your faces. Light, Watari, and I shall head there by helicopter."

"Got it," Aizawa nodded and stood up. "Maki-San?"

"Yes," Naomi stood up, before hesitating. "Um, stay safe," she told L, before feeling awkward. _I can't believe I just told_ L _to stay safe. What's wrong with me lately_?

L, however, didn't seem to find this odd. "You too," he nodded to her, and was gone, in the elevator, and headed to the roof.

"Maki-San, let's go," Aizawa said.

"Coming," she turned around and jogged out of the building with him.

* * *

From here on out, I'm going to be following the film's (Death Note: The Last Name) events more than the animanga, because tbh, I actually like the movies just a tad bit better than the originals ._. I'm sowee


	22. Chapter 22: Matsuda

Longest chapter yet, but somehow took me the least amount of time to write XD And I know Matsuda already has an anime episode named after him, but I'm starting to run out of names that I haven't reserved for feautre chapters O_o

* * *

Matsuda loaded his gun with a gulp, feeling the weight of it in his hands.

"Have you ever used one of these before?" he asked the Chief.

"Once," the Chief sighed. "In a riot, to call everybody's attention."

Matsuda shifted. "So, you've never, like, you know. . ."

"No," the Chief put his helmet on. "But remember, this is Kira we're dealing with. When we shoot at Higuchi, we aim to kill."

"I know," Matsuda sighed again, putting his own helmet on. "It's just that, when I joined the Task Force, I didn't think we'd have to kill anyone. Directly, I mean. I thought L stood for justice. I never thought that he'd be okay with, well. . ."

"It's a homicide case, Matsuda, we do what must be done." the Chief put his gun in its holster. "And besides, I don't think L's _okay_ with killing. He may be more used to doing it than most of us, but," he sighed, thinking of the young detective, barely more than a boy. "I don't think it gets any easier for him, or anyone. Ever."

Matsuda bit his lip, pulling his visor down. _I guess he's right. Now that I think about it, Ryuzaki's probably_ has _killed before – he's definitely killed way more than we have._ He shuddered. _That thought kind of scares me, but it also makes me feel kind of bad for him – he looks even younger than me_. He settled into position behind the bleachers. _I wonder what he's doing right now_?

xxx

"I never knew you could fly a helicopter," Light shouted over the noise of the blades chopping. "Where did you learn? And do you even have a licence?"

"I know how to do many things," L replied, raising his voice as well. "And I have a licence for everything, even sturgeon fishing."

"Is that even a thing?"

"Of course it is, do you think I would make up sturgeon fishing?"

"Kind of, yeah!"

From the back, Watari sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

xxx

Kyosuke ran into the studio, new Shinigami eyes blazing. _Be careful of the cameras_ , he thought, inching around them. He peeked around the corner and did a double take.

"Dummies?" he roared, kicking over the frosted glass screens. " _Dummies_! Damnit!"

There was a clattering sound, and he whirled around to see a group of policemen – he assumed they were policemen, considering they were wearing police helmets and held guns – running from behind the empty bleachers, surrounding him.

"Higuchi! Put your hands up, you're under arrest!" one of them yelled.

"Woah, woah, woah," he chuckled, looking around for an escape route. "I think there's been some mistake here."

"I don't think so, Kyosuke Higuchi, Head of Technology Development at the Yotsuba Group's Japan branch," another voice piped up. He turned around to see two young men standing behind him, chained together by the wrists. One of them was wearing a police helmet, the other was wearing a simply ridiculous mask.

The hunched one in the mask stepped forwards. "You are under arrest for suspicion of being Kira. Please give us all your belongings. This will be much easier if you cooperate."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kyosuke protested, stepping back. "I was just popping in to talk with a friend of mine, he's a director. Here, let me get my visitor's pass. . ." He began rifling around in his bag. _I'm_ sure _I brought my gun_. . .

The hunched young man raised a hand and began lifting off his mask. The other policemen gasped, and the young man chained to him said, "Ryuzaki!", but he tugged it off anyways, shaking his wild black hair loose. His deep black eyes stared straight into Kyosuke's and a chill ran down his spine. He smirked. "You see my name, correct?"

"What do you mean. . .?" Kyosuke's voice trailed off as his eyes went above the young man's head. His jaw dropped. "L!"

"That's evidence enough," the boy – no, _L_ , he was _L_ – made to put his mask back on. "Gentlemen?" Suddenly, Higuchi's hand hit metal.

He whipped his gun out and pointed it right at L. There were shouts, and someone shouted "L!" But he hadn't even pulled the trigger yet when someone raced out from the side and tackled both L and the other boy, knocking them down. The bullet flew harmlessly over them, shattering the glass frame. Almost immediately, he was tackled by the other officers, who pinned him to the ground, handcuffing him and pulling a blindfold over his eyes.

Light sat up shakily from where he had been knocked to the ground, and looked up to see Maki-San pulling her helmet off. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "You?"

"He was aiming for Ryuzaki," Light said, pulling his own helmet off.

Naomi offered her hand to L, who grabbed it. She pulled him up, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. "I told you to be safe," she said, trying to muster up some humor.

He grinned. "I didn't need to – you spared me the trouble." Naomi laughed.

"Ryuzaki!" Soichiro Yagami called. "We've got him!" the smile slipped off L's face, turning back into an emotionless mask, and he trotted over to where Higuchi was still on the ground.

He crouched on the ground next to him. "Kyosuke Higuchi, I'm going to ask you some questions, and I expect you to answer."

He made a noise that sounded somewhere in between "Lawyer!" and "Not likely," but L continued on anyways.

"How do you kill people?" L asked. "The secrets are all in your black notebook – but I would like some specifics."

Higuchi grunted. L's eyes narrowed, and Naomi gulped. She had seen that expression before – on his brother. Suddenly, L's hand shot out, and Higuchi let out a yelping screech.

"I will repeat my question," L said, as if he hadn't just smacked Higuchi's pressure point with enough strength to knock over a bobcat. "How. Do you. Kill. People?"

Higuchi didn't answer, and L held his thumb and forefinger over a point on his neck. "If you don't answer, I'll be forced to put you in a sleeper hold – and if that doesn't work, I have a supply of sodium pentothal that I will not hesitate to use on you. You are aware that it relaxes the mind and muscles to the point of a coma or death, right?"

Higuchi was silent for a moment longer. L sighed, bringing his fingers down to his neck.

"I just write the names!" Higuchi burst out as L began squeezing. "I write the names, and they die! That's it!"

L glanced at Higuchi's bag, which Matsuda was holding. "Matsui-San," he said, using Matsuda's alias. Higuchi's head perked up, but was quickly forced down again by L. "Please hand me the notebook."

Matsuda nodded, and pulled the notebook out of the bag. "Here, Ryuza – " he broke off, staring at something behind L, trembling. A choked scream forced its way out of his mouth, and he fell to the ground, shaking and pointing at something behind him. "M-m-monster!" he choked out. "Monster!"

Aizawa frowned, leaning down to grab the notebook. "Honestly, Matsui, you –" he, too, looked up, before collapsing in shock. The same thing happened with Mogi and Soichiro.

L's head whipped around, and he frowned when he saw nothing. "Could it be. . ?"

Naomi frowned too, walking over and picking up the notebook. "Here, L – " she too broke off, staring behind him, mouth open.

Thick, Medusa-like purple locks. A squished, pig-like snout. Claws like ivory knives. A body formed out of thick, misshapen bones, weaving about, connecting, and interlocking. Glowing yellow eyes, glaring down at her with pure hatred.

 _A Shinigami_.

"Oh, my god," she whispered, falling to her knees beside L.

"Maki-San?" L asked, looking at her. When she didn't reply, he reached for the notebook, taking it gently from her. He looked down at the cover, before looking up to meet the gaze of the creature before him.

To L's credit, he didn't scream. Nor did he shake, fall over, nor move from his position at all. His eyes, however, widened ever so slightly, and his mouth opened by a fraction of an inch.

"A Shinigami," he whispered. "So, they really do exist." he tilted his head, observing the death god. It peered at him, eyes narrowed with suspicion and anger, but also tinted with the slightest bit of – could it be? – pity.

Light, meanwhile was getting impatient. "Come on, Ryuzaki, let me see!" Light reached for it, but L wasn't as stunned as he appeared. He quickly jerked the notebook to the side, and Light's fingers missed.

" _Ryuzaki_ ," he said.

L blinked. "Of – of course, Light. My apologies." he handed the notebook to Light, gaze still fixed on the death god – Rem, it appeared.

The moment Light's skin touched the notebook, memories came flying back into his mind. Sitting in class, bored out of his mind as a notebook fell from the sky. Writing the name of Otoharda, a convict holding children hostage – his first kill. Watching a rapist getting hit by a truck in the middle of the street. A Shinigami appearing before him, clown's grin plastered across his face. Pages upon pages full of names, neat and tidy like the new world he would create. Raye Penber, falling to the ground, clutching his chest, staring at Light in the doorway – an innocent who would die for the greater good. A young man appearing in front of him, barely older than he was, wild haired and dark eyed, the rival who would soon become the centre of his universe. A clawed finger pointing at him, venomous yellow eyes glaring with hatred. Two people watching him as he sat, the ying to the other's yang, chained and covered in sensors. " _Get rid of it_."

He fell to his knees, panting. A smirk spread across his face. _I've done it_! He looked up at Rem, who stared back at him.

 _I've done my part_ , her voice resonated in his mind. _Now, free Misa_.

 _She will be free by tomorrow_ , he promised. _I need but one more thing from you, Rem – a few more days, and you will be done_.

She grit her fangs. _Very well_. White wings burst from back, and she flew into the air. The Task Force followed her with their eyes.

"Listen, humans!" her voice resonated throughout the studio. "I am the Shinigami, Rem. That notebook that the human boy holds is the Death Note, a notebook that will kill whoever's name is written in it, so long as the user has the victim's face in their mind."

L narrowed his eyes at the death god. _A name and a face, huh_?

"How do we know if. . . _it's_ telling the truth?" Aizawa demanded, staring up at the Shinigami with suspicion.

"Try it out," Rem suggested, beating her wings. A gust of wind blew over everybody, making L and Naomi's hair whip about. "Write Higuchi's name in there and see what happens."

"What?" Higuchi roared, head still pinned to the ground by L's hand. "Rem, you can't be serious!"

Light grinned slightly, reaching for his watch. _Good acting, Rem. Now, just keep them distracted_. He pulled at the switch four times quickly, and there was a quiet click as his secret compartment slid out.

He carefully pulled out the needle as Rem continued talking, pressing it to his hand. There was a quick pinch of pain, and the needle came away wet with blood. He quickly began scrawling Higuchi's name on the scrap of Death Note in his watch.

He had just finished the last character and slipped the compartment shut when L stood up, forcing Light to stand as well. "Shinigami Rem-San," he said, reaching for the notebook. "The notebook. . ."

 _No_! Light thought as L reached for the Death Note. _No, not yet, not yet_! His heart soared with triumph as there was a gagging sound from beneath them, and he whirled around before L could touch the notebook.

"Higuchi!" his father shouted, kneeling beside him. "Higuchi, what's going on!"

Higuchi didn't reply, rolling around a few times, screaming, before suddenly falling limp. Light grinned as his father checked his pulse, before looking up at L, shocked. "He's. . . dead."

This time, Light let L grab the notebook from him, holding one corner of the cover by forefinger and thumb and flipping through the other pages, eyes moving faster than the speed of light. He handed the notebook to Shoko Maki, looking bewildered. She flipped through the pages as well, brow furrowed, before looking up at him and shaking her head, evidently confused. "That can't be right."

L narrowed his eyes, glancing at Light. "Everybody, please return to headquarters. Yagami-San, I must ask you to drop off the body at the morgue, if it isn't too big a bother. And, Shinigami Rem-San. . ." he looked up at the Shinigami, who shifted slightly under his scrutinizing gaze. "You follow the holder of the notebook, correct?"

"That's right."

"Then I must ask you to come with us." L said, turning and marching out of the room, dragging a very disgruntled Kira and a very angry death god along behind him.

* * *

The whole gun scene was taken from the 2011 drama, which I actually adore (tbh my favorite Death Note media; L: change the WorLd is second, and The Last Name comes in third) and have taken many scenes from, if you've read _A Thread of Scarlet_. Except this time, I had Naomi tackle L instead of Light ;) Also, FYI, sodium pentothal is a drug that calms anxiety, induce drowsiness, eliminates pain, and sometimes knocks people out. It's also commonly known as a 'truth serum' in spy movies, and has been used as one on covicts, spies, and pregnant women (for some reason). In this scenario, L has a little batch of it to use as a truth serum in situations like this.


	23. Chapter 23: Mail

Another chapter named after Matty, as tribute to my friend who proofreads all my chapters ;) Matt's her baaaaeeeeee

* * *

Matt watched Mello pacing the room, staring at his open laptop on his desk.

"Mels, pacing isn't going to make an email magically appear," Matt said finally, after about ten minutes of Mello walking around in circles.

"I'm just nervous!" Mello said. "L could be catching Kira right now, and we're doing _nothing_!"

"Actually, I'm busy beating Goomboss in Super Mario 64 DS, and you're wearing away the floorboards." Matt said, tapping away at his DS.

Mello huffed irritably, kicking the side of his bed, before resuming his pacing.

xxx

"Bye, Light!" Misa smiled at him.

"Bye, Misa," Light said. She skipped forwards, and he kissed her gently. Watari turned away, and Light grinned wickedly, pulling her in for a hug. "Misa," he whispered in her ear. "I need you to go somewhere and dig something up for me. Can you do that?"

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Anything for you, Light."

xxx

L sat in his seat, watching Light and Misa embrace on the surveillance.

"You don't look to happy right now," the Shinigami commented. Everybody else, even Naomi, had left for the night, either to go home or to their rooms upstairs.

"Would you be jumping for joy if you had just let your two potential culprits run free?" L asked.

" _Potential_ ," Rem reminded him, flying near the ceiling. "They were proven innocent by the thirteen-day rule, were they not?"

"Yes," L said, leaning over the notebook in its glass case. "But that's what bothers me."

The Shinigami looked down at him distastefully. "From what I can see, most everything bothers you."

"True," L licked his lollipop. "But this bothers me more than most things."

"Why dwell over it?" Rem asked. "Kira is dead, and Misa is free."

"The _third_ Kira is dead," L said. "And the first and second have just run free into the wild."

Rem ground her teeth. "Misa is innocent!"

"Misa," L poured sugar into his coffee, and stirred with his lollipop. "You care for Misa, don't you?"

Rem spluttered, and L set down his coffee, spinning his chair around to face Rem. "I'm correct, aren't I?"

Rem sighed. _A conversation like this could not alter Light Yagami's plan by much_. "What makes you say that?"

"You get defensive when I speak about her." L said. "And the way you looked at her on the screen. . . you seemed protective, hostile, almost."

Rem looked at the security footage of Watari driving Misa away. "I used to watch her from the Shinigami realm," she confessed. "A friend of mine. . . he developed an almost paternal love for Misa. I took up the torch of taking care of her after he died."

"Shinigami can die?" L asked, looking up.

"Only in specific cases." Rem replied.

"So, he died, and you decided that the only way you could take care of her was to give her your notebook?" L sipped his coffee loudly.

"I would _never_ put Misa in danger," Rem hissed.

"Maybe you wouldn't but someone would," L put his empty coffee cup down and reached for a slice of cake. "That someone forced you to act, to protect Misa. Which is why you," he tapped the notebook again. "Are attached to this Death Note, and not your own."

Rem bristled. _How could he know_? "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm guessing that this isn't the notebook that you yourself dropped," L said, unlocking the case and pulling the notebook out. "For starters, it has the rules written in it, and I'm going to assume that most Shinigami don't bother to write down detailed instructions in notebooks that they themselves use. And," he opened the Death Note to the first page. "There are some edges poking out here, barely noticeable. As if Kira had taken some pages out and destroyed them, to avoid being identified." he looked up at Rem, eyes like pools of oil staring straight at her. "And I'm assuming that you never would have dropped your notebook intentionally – you seem to harbor a deep resentment for all humans, save for Misa, and you seem to be very careful, not the type of Shinigami who would drop their notebook by accident." he closed the notebook, sliding it back into the case. "I would assume that you dropped your own notebook out of obligation to your friend, and then traded notebooks with the Kira's original Shinigami, possibly on Kira's orders." he looked at Rem over his shoulder. "Am I correct?"

She bit her (non-existent) lip. _How could he know so much? Is he truly that intelligent_?

"You don't need to answer that," L said, turning back to his cake. "I understand if you feel like you would be endangering Misa that way."

Rem opened her mouth, then closed it again. L took this as a cue to keep talking. "Kira has ordered you to kill me, hasn't he?"

Rem stared at him, shocked. _How does he do it_? she wondered. _Even_ I _fear death, but he seems to have made his peace with it already_.

"I cannot tell you," Rem said finally, wings fluttering anxiously.

"That response tells me everything I need to know," L continued on as easily as if they were discussing the weather. "I won't question you any further – I know you are only doing this for Amane-San."

Rem floated above him. _He is certainly strange. . . most humans would shudder at death and cow in the face of a Shinigami, but he seems to have accepted it. When the time comes, he's not going to fight it – he will welcome the darkness with open arms_. She frowned down at the young man. _For him, it will simply be like going to bed after a very, very long, tiring day_.

"Lawliet," she spoke to him with his given name. L looked up at her, looking not alarmed but, rather, relieved to hear his real name for the first time in what must have been years. She looked at him with pity, tinged with respect. "You are playing a dangerous game – your days are numbered, no matter what choice you make."

He didn't reply, only nodded ever so slightly. She continued to watch him even after he had turned away. _Does he know_? she wondered. _Even if he does defeat Light Yagami, even if he does survive against the insurmountable odds. . . L. Lawliet. . . if you escape the forces of the Death Note, you will have less than a year to live_.

* * *

L's lifespan in the films is the same as in the anime, and in the films, he had 273 days left to live had the Death Note not skipped in and screwed his (short) life up, so I'm going to go by that because Shinigami numbers are literally impossible to convert -_-


	24. Chapter 24: Soichiro

I was going to make this longer, but then I realized it was almost six pages. . . *sweats*

* * *

Soichiro was woken by the ringing of his phone. He rolled over, disturbing Sachiko. "Dear, what. . ?"

"Sorry, Sachiko. Go back to sleep." she mumbled something quietly before closing her eyes again.

He checked the Caller ID. _Number blocked_? He held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Yagami-San?" Ryuzaki's voice drifted from the other end of the line.

"Ryuzaki. . . what is it?"

"I'm sorry about waking you, Yagami-San, but could you please come down to headquarters? I wish to discuss something with you." there was something different about L's voice – solemn, almost final, like something had been decided and there was no going back.

"Of course," Soichiro said, confused. "Shall I bring Light?"

"No." L's response was fast, certain. "Leave as quietly as you can, make sure that he does _not_ hear you leaving, nor does he wake up."

Soichiro frowned. "Ryuzaki, what's going on?"

"You'll see."

xxx

Soichiro stood in front of L, stunned. The boy stood in front of him, holding the notebook in front of him, obsidian eyes filled with steely determination.

"Without you, Soichiro Yagami, this will be futile, and I will die for nothing." L said, looking up at him. "Please Yagami-San," his eyes, normally dull and empty, were now bright with emotion – acceptance, pleading, _hope_.

Soichiro laughed. A hysterical laugh, devoid of humor or joy. A laugh of a man on the brink. "You've forced me into a corner, Ryuzaki – how could I not?"

" _Will_ you?" L asked, still as a marble statue.

Soichiro dropped his head. A silence ensued. Finally,

"Yes."

xxx

Light was checking the number of Kira deaths (good work, Misa) when Watari's signature _W_ appeared on the screen. "Ryuzaki, it's done."

L looked up, face grim. "Thank you, Watari,"

Naomi looked at him, a sinking feeling in her chest. "What's ready, L?"

"I've gotten approval from another country to use to Death Note for an execution," L said, sipping his tea. "Prisoner A will write Prisoner B's name in the notebook – thirteen days later, Prisoner A will die. If he doesn't then we will know that the thirteen day rule is fake."

"What do you mean, Ryuzaki?" Aizawa demanded. "We already know that the notebook's real – and what if the thirteen day rule is fake?"

"It would mean that Amane-San and Light-Kun's confinements were pointless," L said, sipping his tea. "Therefore, I have requested that Yagami-San take the notebook to America."

"Chief!" Matsuda gasped. "You can't honestly think this is a good idea, can you?"

"If it will clear Light's innocence once and for all, then I'll do whatever it takes." Soichiro said.

"Thank you, Yagami-San." L put his teacup down. "Here's what you'll do. . ."

xxx

Light sat with L as they watched his father leaving headquarters, briefcase containing the notebook chained to his wrist. They were alone in the observation room – even L's precious Maki-San had gone.

"I've been thinking, Ryuzaki," Light began. "If we catch the current Kira – the _real_ Kira, then will we honestly be able to convict them? I mean, they can claim that they were keeping record of the criminals, or that they didn't know, or blah blah – it's writing in a journal, for heaven's sake!"

"I didn't know you would think like that, Light," L said, poking at a piece of cake with a fork. He seemed to have lost his appetite, for some reason. "There will be no trial, no jury, no prosecution – he'll simply be executed."

Rem's head shot up, eyes wide with alarm. _Executed_?

"Wait, what's Misa doing here?" Light suddenly demanded. _The idiot – she should be killing criminals, not visiting me_!

"I invited her," L said.

Rem's eyes widened in horror. _No! Misa's lifespan – it's been halved again_! she looked past Misa and her eyes narrowed in fury. _Ryuk! What's he doing, possessing Misa_? she took a deep breath as she realized what was going on. _Light Yagami! You did this! You've forced me into a corner that I cannot escape_!

Light grinned wickedly. _What are you going to do, Rem? Misa's lifespan has been halved again, and Ryuzaki's closing in – you've got no choice but to kill him_.

Rem bit her (non-existent) lip and sighed. L turned to glance at her as she walked forwards, through the monitors, through the wall, and into the next room.

She turned and faced the two men, speaking, even though she knew they could not hear her. "So, this has been your plan all along, Light Yagami." she reached to her side and picked up her own Death Note. "Ever since you discovered that Shinigami could be killed if they saved the life of a human they favored." she opened the notebook to a blank page and lifted the pen, heart heavy. "You shortened Misa's lifespan, so that I would be pressured to kill Ryuzaki. . . kill L."

She scratched the first name onto the page. _Quillsh Wammy_. "Killing a Shinigami. . . you truly are the devil, Light Yagami."

She wrote the first letter of the second name, then hesitated. She closed her eyes, and scribbled the last six letters. "I'm sorry, L. Lawliet."

xxx

Light laughed when he heard the crash.

He turned around to see L fall from his chair, eyes wide, mouth gasping for air. He walked to stand next to him, sneering down at the face clenched in pain.

"Light. . . Yagami," he gasped, hand clutching at his chest.

Light's sneer spread even wider, and he leaned forwards to laugh in his face. "I win, L."

"You. . . Kira." L somehow managed to reach out and grab Light's ankle.

"Loser," Light laughed.

"I – " L's hand went slack, and he fell to the ground, eyes closed.

Light laughed tugging his leg out of the detective's lifeless grip. "I was doing you a favor," he left the room, supressing his laughter. "I'll say goodbye to Maki-San for you."

He slammed the door behind him, walking down the hallway. Misa was next to the elevator, kneeling by Watari's lifeless form. "Light!" she said, looking up. "Is L - ?"

"He's dead," Light smiled, and Misa grinned. _And so is Rem_.

"That's great, Light!" she tried to hug him, but he brushed her off.

"Misa, the Death Note," he held his hand out.

"Oh, right!" she reached into her bag, pulling the black notebook out. "Here!"

He took it, smiling grimly. _I'm sorry, Dad. . . but to create a perfect world, I will do anything and everything I must. . ._

 _Even if it means killing my own family_.


	25. Chapter 25: Naomi

Ukita always dies in the end. . .

* * *

They had been sitting for almost an hour when his father returned. Light stood quickly as his father entered the room, face blank. "Father." _The Death Note never fails_.

His father looked at him, eyes sad and distant. "Dad," Light repeated. "You don't know what's going on. . . but I think that if you did, you would understand what I'm doing." his father watched him, looking as if his world had shattered.

Light reached his hand out. "Dad,"

His father looked at him, sighed, and reached for the briefcase. He spun open the combination, and let the lid fall open.

It was empty.

"Dad?" Light asked. "Where's the Death Note?"

"You said that I would understand what you were doing," his father said, voice shattered with pain. "But I don't, Light. I don't understand how you could do this. I don't understand how you would be able to do all of this without feeling any remorse."

There was the sound of many footsteps, and the Task Force members appeared on the second floor balconies, aiming their guns at Light and Misa. Shoko Maki ran out from behind a column and grabbed Misa, pinning her to the ground.

"Light!" the girl screamed. "Help!"

"I'm sorry, Light-Kun," Light's head whipped to the stairs, and he paled. L sat on the handrail, holding up the missing Death Note.

His lip quivered. "How – you're _dead_! What's going on?" he demanded.

"We saw everything, Light," his father said, sadness mixing with the anger in his voice. "We saw what you tried to do."

"But. . . but it didn't work!" Light protested stepping back. "How – " he sucked in a deep breath, furious. "Misa!" he roared. "You betrayed me!"

"What?" she screeched, eyes wide. She tugged at Maki's arms, but she held her firm. "I would never do that – I love you!" Maki winced.

"Then how – " he stepped back, and there was the sound of four safety triggers being pulled. A sudden realization hit him. "You tricked me! You switched Misa's notebook!"

"An eye for an eye, my friend," L slid down the banister, eyes cold. He hopped off the banister and walked to face Light. "Light Yagami. . . you are Kira."

Light glared at him. _You bastard_. "How are you _alive_?" he demanded. "You died! I saw you!"

"You saw what I let you see," L hopped up onto one of the chairs in the lobby and held up the notebook. "This, Light Yagami," he flipped the notebook open to a blank page, where a single name and a line of English words were written. "Is my real name, which you had been searching for for so long." he smiled grimly. "I had almost forgotten it, until Rem spoke to me last night – she's dead now, isn't she? I would assume that you would have found a way to cover your tracks."

Light stared at the page. _L. Lawliet will die peacefully of heart failure in 23 days_.

"L. Lawliet," he said, voice quivering. " _L. Lawliet_."

"You cannot change what has already been written," L said, closing the notebook and tucking it behind him. "I gathered this much after I spoke with the Shinigami – my life is a small price to pay for the peace of the world." Light grit his teeth.

He stood, shaking, in the middle of the room. _I'm finished_! he thought. _He's figured it out,_ and _he's alive! I've found his name, but I can't kill him!_ He felt like tearing his hair out and screaming. Instead, he laughed.

Quietly at first, then louder and louder. He could see everybody tense up, hold the guns a bit tighter. When he had at last calmed down enough to form coherent words, he took a deep breath and said, "That's right. . . I am Kira."

The Task Force members all stiffened their muscles, aiming their guns directly at his head and chest. He laughed again and saw everybody tense. "So, what are you going to do? Kill me?" he turned away from L, walking leisurely towards the other end of the room. "Kira has become law in the world in which we live," he said, casually brining his right arm forwards. "Organized crime is in shambles, wars have stopped, and even petty criminals shudder in fear at my name." he reached for his watch, slow enough not to catch their attention. "I am _justice_."

"No," L's voice rang out, and Light whirled around to see the spidery insomniac sitting in his seat. His father had handcuffed Misa, who stood there, crying and useless. Shoko Maki now stood next to L like a guard dog, glaring at Light. L himself had fixed Light with a stare so intense that, for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. "You are _not_ justice." L said firmly.

"And you are, I suppose?" Light asked sarcastically, playing for time. _I can probably write everybody else's names, if they don't see what I'm doing, but Shoko Maki is going to be a problem. . . L I can probably take, but she's going to be difficult. . . and Misa's no help at all_. he gnashed his teeth. _Fine. Let's do this_.

"No," L said as Light turned away again, quietly reaching for his watch. "I do not claim to be justice – I am as far away from it as you are."

Naomi, standing in her post behind L, narrowed her eyes slightly. _Why does he stand with his back to us_? she wondered.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud gurgle from the second floor. Ukita fell from the balcony, landing on the floor with a loud crash.

"He's hidden a piece of the notebook!" Mogi roared.

Light whirled around, pen hovering over the watch. Just then, Misa shouted out. " _Naomi Misora_! Light, her name's Naomi Misora!"

Naomi's heart skipped a beat as Light brought his pen to the paper. Just then, L, moving faster than she had ever seen him, leapt off the seat, racing across the room. He grabbed the pistol that Ukita had been holding and shot at Light. At the same time, Matsuda had fired at him from the second floor. Matsuda's bullet hit Light's hand, making him drop the pen and roar in pain; L's bullet hit his watch, shattering it and going right through it, into his wrist.

Light dropped to his knees, roaring in pain. Naomi ran over to L, who stood up. "Are you all right, Naomi?" he murmured, watching Light writhe around on the ground.

She nodded shakily. "Alive."

L chuckled. But his laughter died as Light rolled over onto his back. "Ryuk!" he screeched, thrashing on the ground. " _Ryuk_!"

A creature flew through the roof, landing behind him. L's breath caught in his throat. Dark blue skin, a light blue chest and torso stitched roughly to the body, torn, bat-like wings, huge yellow eyes, and a clown's grin stretched across an inhuman face. _A Shinigami_.

The Task Force all directed their guns to the new Shinigami. Having touched Amane's notebook before, they could all see it.

"Ryuk. . ." Light dragged himself towards the creature. "Ryuk. . . I'll show you something interesting."

"Oh?" the Shinigami tilted its head, leering.

"Kill them," Light panted. "Kill them all!" he finished in a scream. "Write their names, Ryuk, write them now!"

The Shinigami was silent. Then, it reached to its side and plucked its own Death Note from his thick belt. "All right," he said, cackling. "I'll write them."

The Task Force members all began shouting, shooting at the creature. Only L and Naomi remained still.

"Is he actually going to kill us?" Naomi whispered, unable to keep the fear from her voice. She was surprised to feel L grip her hand.

"Don't worry," he replied soothingly, eyes never leaving the Shinigami, Ryuk. "When I spoke to Rem, she let slip a bit more about this Ryuk Shinigami than I think she intended." he squeezed her hand comfortingly. "You _will_ live."

"All right, Light." the Shinigami said, interrupting Light's mad laughter. "I'm done." he held up the page, and there was a collective intake of breath as everybody saw the name that was written.

 _Light Yagami_.

There was a silence, broken by the tortured scream of a broken, dying boy.


	26. Chapter 26: L

Just out of curiousity, how do you think L would have died if not by the Death Note? I, personally, feel like he would have died in the least dramatic way possible, because a dramatic end just isn't _L_. I think he probably would have just fallen asleep and never woken up, just to get everybody else's goat, like, "I survived all those hardships, and I die in my sleep. Beat that, suckers!"

* * *

L sat in front of his laptop, legs curled to his chest, not because he needed them there, but wanted them, his face half-hidden in his jeans and his eyes peering over his knees sorrowfully.

He raised a finger hesitantly, before pressing the button. There was a ding as the email was sent to all members of Wammy's House.

He closed his eyes, and, for the first time in his life, allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek.

xxx

Matt was lying on his bed when he heard the chime that signified an email from L. He jumped, falling off the bed. There was a sad sound as Mario ran into a Goomba.

"Damnit!" he leapt off the ground, yanking his goggles away from his eyes and tossing them haphazardly on the ground amidst all of his undone laundry and video game. He ran across the room, past his TV and consoles, to his desk, where he quickly opened up his email on his laptop.

He read it over once, then twice, then rubbed his eyes. "What?" he said, voice hazy. "That's. . . no. . ."

xxx

Mello swept an arm across his desk, sending his laptop, books, chocolate, and mini _Pieta_ flying. "No!" he roared, kicking his chair over. "No!" he pulled his phone out of his pocket, hurling it onto the ground and stomping on it. " _No_!"

He strode across the room to his bookshelf, grabbing it and shoving it over. The shelf landed on his desk, ripping the silk sheets and bursting the mattress. Feathers went flying, but Mello wasn't done. He kicked a hole through his wardrobe door. He screamed until his throat was hoarse. Finally, he collapsed amidst the destruction he had caused, amongst the floating down feathers, crumpled sheets torn from their books, and smoking components from his destroyed electronics. He knelt, sobbing, clutching his rosary, tears running down his face.

" _No_. . ."

xxx

Near sat in their room, head bent low. Their room was the simplest in the entire manor – a bed, desk, and wardrobe. They had declined the television, and their laptop sat open on the desk, a single email flashing on the screen.

They sat on the floor, one knee pulled up to their chest, the other pressed on the ground. A single Lego figurine stood in front of them, plain as could be, undecorated, save for a single Cloister Black letter drawn on the front in marker.

Near held out his hand and flicked the figurine over. It landed on the ground, and the quiet thud seemed to resonate a thousand times through the room.

xxx

 _Watari is dead. Kira has been defeated, but at a cost. In two days, I die. L ends here._

xxx

L brought the teacup to his lips and took a sip, listening to Soichiro Yagami's footsteps fading down the hallway. _Yagami-San. . . there has been too much death. Beyond,_ Ukita, _Watari,_ _and now, your son._ He put the teacup down with a sigh. _And now, I must add the final score to the tally_. He glanced at the photo next to him and smiled sadly. "You did always say I couldn't go anywhere without you."

There was the sound of somebody clearing their throat behind him. He turned around, and his gaze softened. "Naomi. . ."

She stepped forwards, and L could see shadows under her eyes. She was biting her lip, as if trying not to cry. She walked in front of him and knelt so that they were at eye level. "L," she said, voice quivering slightly.

He smiled and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Misora-San, don't be upset. You are stronger than this."

She shook her head. "Nobody's stronger than death." she said.

"Perhaps," L leaned forwards so that their foreheads touched. "But that is what makes life so precious."

She sniffed, then laughed. "I didn't know you were so metaphorical."

He smiled at her softly. "I wasn't always. My life was always a neverending, continuous stream. Crime after crime after crime. It was meaningless."

"But. . . but you're _L_ ," Naomi said, wiping at her eyes.

L sighed sadly. "A mantle I had held ever since I was a child. I had never known anything other than the cases that I lived to solve. My only freedom would have been death, and I craved it."

Naomi bit her lip. _So much sadness that went unnoticed, uncared for. . . and now he's about to die for the very cause he loathes_.

"But then," he titled his head. "A young woman on leave from the FBI came to work under me, and she intrigued me." he smiled. "I was so intrigued, in fact, that I went to see her in person. I tried to hug her, and she kicked me down a flight of stairs." Naomi blushed, and L laughed. "But, Naomi, that was the first time I had ever interacted with someone for means other than business. That was, I think," he pulled back and laced his long, thin, fingers through hers. "The first time I had truly been happy."

Naomi held his hand tightly, and said, "That hug you tried to give me. . ." she giggled weakly. "Would you kick me down the stairs if I tried to give it back to you?"

He smiled softly. "I don't think I have time for any more hostility." he drew her in to a hug, and she wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes. He seemed hesitant and unsure, as if he had never hugged someone before – and maybe he _hadn't_. But he was warmer than his cold exterior made him seem, and when they parted, she noticed that his eyes were misty.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire; doubt that the sun doth move," Naomi stopped herself, hesitant.

L smiled leaning in closer, and finished the verse. "Doubt truth to be a liar; but never doubt I love."

The kiss was just that – a kiss. It wasn't drawn out, nor was too short. There was no dramatic music, and there were no tongues. It was simply a kiss.

L's hand dropped from Naomi's. "Naomi. . ." he looked at her with his big, black eyes, like empty space. "I never had anything to care about before, but, now," he pulled back. "I believe that I have something to miss when I leave."

"L – "

He turned away. "My time is almost up," he said quietly. "You don't need to see this."

"Yes," she said, taking his hand again, forcing him to look at her. "I do."

xxx

It was a few minutes later when the hour hand hit twelve. L's muscles relaxed, and his eyes gently drifted closed. His arm fell to the side, and his head drooped onto Naomi's head.

Naomi held the detective in her arms, stroking his soft dark hair, listening for a heartbeat she knew would not come.

And she cried.

End


End file.
